2000 Riesling Smaragd Kellerberg

Knoll began picking late in September so as to have some wine in the Federspiel range of ripeness. Soon, he reports, there were significant incursions of botrytis. Further picking became an occasion for careful selection with an eye to a future balancing act: integrating some botrytized grapes into Smaragd wines and relegating others to sweet wine categories. Consumers who have faithfully followed Knoll's wines already know to quickly snap up those that appear Stateside and will scarcely require further encouragement in these pages. Nevertheless, I should preface my notes with a reminder that most of Knoll's 2000s were still in cask in a very cold cellar when I tasted them, and I expect to be more impressed after they are bottled and rested. As regards the Knoll BA and TBA "byproducts" of this vintage, more numerous even than in 1995, I do not expect these to reveal the uncanny balance, elegance, and complexity exhibited by that previous vintage. But with wines so sweet and so young, my judgments should be taken as especially provisional.