Molitor Urziger Wurzgarten Kabinett Gold Capsule 2021 (750ml) *
Product price
$43.99
Description
Gold Capsule bottlings mark the sweeter, more concentrated end of a producer's Kabinett range, and this is Markus Molitor's from the Ürziger Würzgarten in the Mosel, a 2021 Riesling that carries its ripeness at a featherweight 7.5% alcohol. That combination of real sweetness and low alcohol is the classic Mosel Kabinett equation, and the cool 2021 vintage gave it the acidity to keep everything in balance.
The nose opens with a flinty, reductive edge that lifts to reveal greenish lemon fruit and the crushed-slate note the site is known for. On the palate it stays light on its feet, the sweetness reading as crunchy Granny Smith apple and barley sugar rather than weight, with a savory, herbal snap running underneath. Saline acidity draws the finish out into long, tensioned lemon length. It drinks beautifully now for the sheer verve of it, though the crystalline structure suggests it will only gain with time in the cellar.
Expert Reviews
Flinty, reductive funk covers up the nose of the 2021 Riesling Ürziger Würzgarten Kabinett Gold Capsule, but the palate comes in with a sweetness combining Granny Smith apple crunch with barley sugar and chervil crushed with salt. The freshness of 2021 cuts through and delivers phenomenal lemon length. Total verve. (Sweet). (Vinous, June 2023)
The 2021 Riesling Ürziger Würzgarten Kabinett (Golden Capsule) AP 162 is clear, bright and savory on the pure and elegant nose with its fresh and slightly greenish/lemony fruit and crunchy slate aromas. On the palate, this is a supple, intense but light, refined and elegant Würzgarten with persistent saline acidity and mineral tension on the still-young finish. This is a charming but also tensioned and crystalline Würzgarten Kabinett that will benefit from further bottle aging, though. The wine hasn't been released yet, and it's not yet defined when it will be. Compared to AP 62 (which comes from another parcel), this is perhaps a little bit sharper in terms of acidity. Markus likes both versions, but he didn't want to blend them like he normally does because both versions tasted better without the other. 7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted from AP 162 22 at the domaine in May 2023. (Wine Advocate, May 2023)