Julian Haart - Layer box Kabinett 6 bottles 4500ml OWC 2021

Julian Haart – Kabinett 2021 Case (6 bottles OWC)

Introduction

Julian Haart’s2021 Kabinett Single-Vineyard Case is one of the most sought-after collector’s editions of German Riesling. It is a strictly limited-edition wooden case containing six different Kabinett wines from the estate’s top vineyards on the Middle Moselle. The 2021 vintage is considered ideally suited to the Kabinett style, and for this edition, Julian Haart has bottled six different Kabinett wines for the first time in the estate’s history. Five of these Rieslings are available exclusively in the Lagenkiste.

The winemaker: Julian Haart

Julian Haart is one of Germany’s most sought-after winemakers and is mentioned in the same breath as Klaus Peter Keller and Egon Müller. The estate is situated in Piesport on the Moselle and cultivates around 5 hectares of vineyards in the municipalities of Piesport and Wintrich. The Haart family has been growing grapes in Piesport since 1337, making it one of the oldest winegrowing dynasties on the Moselle.

Julian Haart began his career as a chef, training under Harald Rüssel and Klaus Erfort, before discovering his passion for viticulture. He gained experience working with Werner Schönleber (Nahe), Heymann-Löwenstein (Moselle) and, above all, Klaus Peter Keller in Rheinhessen, whose influence continues to shape his work to this day. Since his debut in 2010, Haart has catapulted himself to the very top of the Riesling world in a very short space of time. At the Football World Cup in Qatar, Julian Haart’s Rieslings were served in the VIP lounges alongside wines from Keller and Egon Müller.

Haart’s particular focus is on the Kabinett category. No other German winemaker has received as many 100-point ratings for Kabinett wines as he has – the specialist magazine JamesSuckling.com has already awarded the top mark three times .

The 2021 vintage

The 2021 vintage was cooler and wetteron the Moselle than in previous years, which posed a challenge for the winemakers but ultimately produced wines of great tension and freshness. It marked a return to the classic, cool-climate style of the Mosel: racy, electric and with high acidity, which is, however, well-balanced and gives the wines great ageing potential.

The 2021 Kabinett wines are characterisedby clear, pure, crystalline fruit, a light body and lower alcohol content – typical of classic Mosel Kabinetts. The wines display a delicate, often semi-dry profile with lively acidity and refreshing characteristics.

Contents of the 2021 Single-Vineyard Case

The wooden case contains one bottle (0.75 l) each of the following six Kabinett wines:

The AP numbers (official test numbers) serve as identification and indicate that these are six distinct bottlings. Particularly noteworthy is the Wintricher Ohligsberg ‘Wurzelecht’, which comes from vines planted in 1925 that are still growing on their own roots – a rarity in the history of viticulture, which has been threatened by phylloxera.

Winemaking and style

The wines are vinified using traditional methods. The grapes are harvested by hand and pressed using a basket press. Fermentation takes place spontaneously with wild yeasts in stainless-steel tanks at cool temperatures of 9–10 °C. Malolactic fermentation is not carried out in order to preserve the freshness and acidity profile. The wines are bottled clear and filtered.

In the vineyard, Haart practises the traditional single-post training system (stock culture), in which the vines are tied to individual posts. This method cannot be carried out mechanically and requires exclusively manual labour. It helps to slow down the rise in sugar levels in the grapes, whilst preserving aromatic ripeness and acidity.

Julian Haart’s Kabinett wines are renowned for their feather-light elegance, crystalline purity and lively acidity. The winemaker places less emphasis on high must weights than on aromatic and berry ripeness, which lends his wines remarkable concentration and complexity despite their Kabinett classification .

Reviews and awards

The wines in the 2021 Lagenkiste have received outstanding reviews from the specialist press:

Wintricher Ohligsberg Alte Reben Kabinett 2021

100 points – JamesSuckling.com

“This wine is as hard and as brilliant as a diamond, with a concentration as high as nature is capable of, despite its light body – an absurd combination, yet one that is utterly delightful. And all of this builds inexorably towards some sort of impossibly sensual climax on the finish. Very limited production. Drink now or keep.”

Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Old Vines Kabinett 2021

99 points

“A breathtaking nose of the finest herbs and tiny wild berries. Then comes a wine that combines staggering energy with immense concentration and the brilliance of a samurai sword. So much drive in the Mad Max-style finish.”

Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Kabinett 2021 (No. 7)

94 points – JamesSuckling.com

“…a whole plate of ripe melon, over which fresh mint and basil have been scattered. So vibrant and pure, it leaps and bounds across the palate. An extremely long and pristine finish.”

Wintricher Großer Herrgott Kabinett 2021

94+ points – CellarTracker

“Nice intensity on the nose with floral notes, lemon and mineral hints. Great acidity with plenty of fruit on the palate – lemon, riper yellow fruit – and excellent balance. A long finish.”

Wintricher Ohligsberg Alte Reben Kabinett 2021

97–98 points – CellarTracker

“Wow! Absolutely brilliant on the nose, with a slightly more tropical character and a distinct note of peach alongside lemon and dried flowers. Complex and rich on the palate with a hint of saltiness and further lemon and peach flavours. A very long finish.”

Piesporter Grafenberg Kabinett 2021

93++ points – CellarTracker

“Compared to the Herrgott, this felt a bit riper, with notes of lemon and white flowers on the nose. Good acidity and a slightly higher level of sweetness, with mineral notes and more lemon and citrus flavours on the palate. A great finish.”

Availability

The 2021 Lagenkiste is officially sold out and can now only be found occasionally on the secondary market or at auctions. The production run is extremely limited – there are only a few hundred bottles in existence. Demand from collectors and Riesling enthusiasts worldwide is very high, meaning the case is rarely offered for sale. Five of the six wines are available exclusively in this edition, which further underlines its collector’s value.

Serving and storage recommendations

• Serving temperature: 9–10 °C

• Optimal drinking window: 2022 to 2030 (for most wines)

• Alcohol content: approx. 8.0% vol. (Goldtröpfchen Kabinett) to 12.0% vol. (average for the case)

• Food pairings: The wines pair superbly with Asian cuisine, spicy dishes, light meals and as an aperitif.

• Storage: Due to their high acidity and low alcohol content , these wines have very good ageing potential. The 2021 Kabinetts should be stored until at least 2030 to allow their full complexity to develop.

Conclusion

The Julian Haart Lagenkiste Kabinett 2021 is far more than a mere selection of wines – it is a statement on the renaissance of the Kabinett style on the Moselle. With this six-bottle case, Julian Haart has not only immortalised his personal signature but also documented the breadth and depth of the 2021 vintage. The combination of feather-light elegance, crystalline purity, vibrant acidity and profound minerality makes these wines among the most sought-after Kabinetts in the world.

For collectors, this case is a must-have – not only because of its outstanding quality, but also because of its extreme rarity. The fact that five of the six wines are available exclusively in this edition underlines the unique character of this single-vineyard case. Anyone who owns one of these wooden cases holds a piece of German wine-growing history in their hands – and a wine that will continue to mature and bring pleasure for decades to come.