Paul Anheuser, “Schlossböckelheimer Königsfels” Riesling Kabinett

No matter where you turn for your wine reading, every critic and publication shared the same record-high enthusiasm for German Riesling in 2019. After they all returned from their massive horizontal tastings and cellar visits, whispers began coming out of the woodwork that this so-called “100-point vintage” was unlike anything they’d seen this century, and that the wines were already excellent but would evolve beautifully for decades to come. So, of course, all this hype was buzzing around our table when today’s 2019 single-vineyard Kabinett splashed into our glass. At first glance, we were blinded by its neon-bright core, and then our senses were further arrested after a cannonade of exotic fruit, smoke, and petrol blasted out—but it was the highly energized palate that sent us completely over the edge.This is liquified lightning that’s loaded with (1) smoky, volcanic minerality, (2) staggeringly ripe, sun-drenched fruit, and (3) maximum levels of thirst-quenching acidity—the masterfu