Maximin Grünhaus, Mosel (Germany) Riesling Kabinett 2016

 I look forward to tasting this wine each year, as the Kabinett release of Riesling from Grünhaus’ magnificent Abtsberg vineyard is always among the most delicious wines and most telling indicators of the character of the vintage.  The 2016 is indeed delicious, but also unusual in character, being much softer, lower in acidity, and less lively in texture than usual.  Wondering whether this is indicative of the 2016 more broadly, I checked the vintage report from Terry Theise, my long lost friend (who moved from DC to Boston) and German wine importer extraordinaire.  He writes glowingly of the vintage overall, but with regard to the Mosel, remarks that, "…[T]he omnipresent silkiness of the vintage worked against a grower whose wines are meant to be crunchy. The consolation prize is that growers whose wines were over-acidic in 2015 were just fantastically balanced in 2016."  Well, I think of Grunhaus’ Abtsberg Kabinett as a wine that is almost always "crunchy" (or "crackly," as I’d be more apt to write), but it is not in 2016.  Some tasters will love the wines roundness and weight, which really makes it come across more like Spätlese than Kabinett, and all tasters will have to admit that it is a wonderful drink, but in my opinion it just doesn’t compare to the most exciting vintages of this wine.