A few weeks ago in the Times, wine columnist Eric Asimov wrote a spring love poem to Mosel kabinett riesling that made us rush to grab the last cases in NY of his “best value” wine for you. Reading Eric’s praise of kabinett (“a wine of gorgeous delicacy, as fragile as the petals on those first tentative blossoms yet possessing a tensile strength that comes of perfect balance . . . one of wine’s singular glories”), it’s hard to imagine this wine exceeded our expectations. But it did. The Monchhof Urziger Wurzgarten Kabinett Riesling 2008 was simply sublime. Rich, sweet perfume on the nose but dry on the palate with pitch perfect balance between fruit and acidity – juicy citrus, pineapple and pear fruit complement a delicate slate minerality. As Mike put it “lovely, a wine I could drink every night.” If you were lucky enough to get a bottle, you know what we’re talking about.

We had only set aside one bottle for ourselves and by the time we opened it, the wine had sold out. And our colleagues at the Manhattan store who got scooped on the buy wanted to try a bottle but by the time we got their email asking us to reserve one, it was too late. Haunted by the thought that that was the last time we’d taste the wine, we put ourselves on a waitlist just in case. A few more cases were just redirected to NY and our number came up. So you have one last chance to try a perfect example of a kabinett riesling – a style of wine some think is becoming impossible to make due to global warming – from the most exceptional vintage since 2001.

“Best Value” in the Times Monchhof Kabinett Riesling 2008 Urziger Wurzgarten (“Intense flavors of apricot and slate” with”great balance between fruit, minerality and acidity”). $22/bottle, $19.80/bottle for 12 bottles or more. Like spring, this white wine is ethereal and ephemeral. To reserve yours, call us at 718-797-9463. If we have a bottle left, we’ll open it Friday 5-7pm.