Axel Pauly Kabinett Riesling

Axel Pauly is one of the rising stars of German wine. He took over the Pauly estate from his father after doing vintages in California, New Zealand and other parts of Germany. Most of the seven hectares of vineyards are in the heart of the Mosel Valley in the village of Lieser, with the exception of a small parcel in the highly regarded, neighbouring village of Bernkastel. The majority of Axel's wines are dry or off-dry in style and are closed with screwcap to preserve the purity and freshness from Riesling grown on the famous slate soils of the Mosel.

Vineyards
The KABInett Riesling was harvested from the family's small parcel of vines in the single vineyard of Kardinalsberg, in the famous village of Bernkastel. Stringent crop-thinning and leaf-plucking ensured excellent flavour concentration in the ripe grapes, which were sorted and picked manually, to ensure only the best berries were selected at harvest time. Vines are on average 40 years old. The wine is a Kabinett, meaning that it was harvested slightly later in the season, resulting in riper fruit and a fuller palate than the earlier-picked styles.

Vinification
The grapes underwent skin contact for 10 hours prior to fermentation in stainless steel tank, in order to extract the precious Riesling flavours. The fermentation lasted two and a half weeks at approximately 20°C, using natural yeasts. The wine was kept in inert, large oak barrels for 6-7 months, which resulted in a more mellow, smooth wine but without any hint of oak It is slightly sweeter in style than Axel's other wines, as a result of the stopped fermentation that left 59 grams per litre of residual sugar and a low alcohol of just 8%.

Tasting Notes
The Kabinett Riesling is bright yellow in colour. On the nose, there are notes of lemon and lime, with touches of peach and tropical mango. The palate is full and lively, with a succulent finish, a touch of sweetness and long, lingering flavours of citrus and spice.