2020 Riesling Bacharacher Hahn Kabinett

For the first time ever, my visit to Bacharach had to take place on a day when all of the Josts were out of town, so I was limited to tasting a subset of their Mittelrhein 2020s (none from the Rheingau) that they left for me as samples. I have not tasted any of their 2019s (which included multiple Auslesen that are still on their price list), and there is currently no US importer to which to turn. Cecilia Jost characterized her 2020s as harmonious in their acid expression and possessed of a surprising sense of levity for products of such a hot, dry summer. The Hahn (and Im Hahn) having long ago been outfitted with drip lines as part of a then-exceptional experiment, those sites were once again irrigated in midsummer 2020. Picking began in mid-September, but the focus was evidently early October. (For more about this estate and its recent evolution, consult especially the introductions to my coverage of its 2014s, 2015s and 2016s. I reported on some of Cecelia Jost’s significant pet Pinot Noir projects alongside my account of her vintage 2016 Rieslings.)