2021 @soilpimp selections "Oil on the Mountain" KT 
2021 @soilpimp selections "Simon's Mountain" KT 
2021 @soilpimp selections "New Mountain" KT 

Today we present only the second-ever @soilpimp selections; this is a special moment, a special offer.

Some of you may remember the @soilpimp selections Saar rosé; a simple wine shaped into something more by the cult estate Hofgut Falkenstein.

Today there is a similar motif: Fierce ambition, with restraint.

The Kabinett Trocken is one of our most beloved genres of wine. I believe it is singular within the world of wine in that the category demands the least ripeness, the most petit form, yet also insists on the highest goal of all wine: to express Grand Cru terroir.

The goal of a great Kabinett Trocken - alone in the world of wine - is simply to do only that which is essential, and nothing more.

"Petit Chablis" comes the closest to the spirit of the Kabinett Trocken; yet honestly it's not even close. Petit Chablis can only represent the appellation; to be a single-vineyard wine, even in Chablis, you must be bigger.

In the world of German wine, Robert has called the Kabinett Trocken "the anti-GG" - referencing the Grosses Gewächs or Grand Cru dry wines of Germany. And in a way, this analogy holds. Yet, Robert also thinks this is the wrong way to frame the issue; it's too combative and too negative. The truth is also that we both love GGs; we drink them regularly with great joy.

Music is Robert's other great passion and here, an analogy perhaps works best. Robert said to me: "Miles Davis understood it perfectly when he said, 'The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between the notes.'"

This is what the Kabinett Trocken is: The absolute grandest expression... of the very least. Only what is essential, nothing more - the silence between the notes.

The few growers who continue to champion the Kabinett Trocken are a soulful collective: Ulli Stein, Hans Josef Becker, Erich and Johannes Weber at Hofgut Falkenstein, Martin Müllen and Konstantin and Alexandra from Weiser-Künstler. To some extent, the soul of these producers speaks to the soul of this genre. (Which reminds me of another Miles Davis quote: "Anybody can play; the note is only 20 percent. The attitude of the motherfucker who plays it is 80 percent.")

That seems like the perfect introduction to our offer?

Today with great excitement we present a trio of Kabinett Trockens from one of the greatest Kabinett vintages of the last century: 2021.

While Robert could have asked any of the legends above to make a Kabinett Trocken, he wanted to expand the field - to bring someone new into this world. He wanted to find a motherfuc... let's just say a person with the right attitude. The Mosel iconoclast Wolfram Stempel was honestly just an inspired move; as unexpected as it now seems to me so natural. We have been huge fans of Wolfram's singular Mosel wines and Robert and Wolfram especially hit it off.

Wolfram in many ways is like a Kabinett Trocken: calming, intense and focused, but never loud - cerebral yet a joy to be around. His years living in Japan (to where he has returned, as we noted in offer 073) have given him a certain focus and consideration.

Together Wolfram and Robert discussed the project in roles that transcend the simple language of most arts: director and actor? Composer and musician? Patron and artist? All of these are suggestive, yet none of them are exactly right.

In the end, if the center of the Kabinett Trocken is the hyper-specific focus on the terroir, Robert and Wolfram together decided to take this to the highest level. Each wine in this trio is a very specific exploration of a different section of the same grand slope running up the western side of the Mosel village of Wintrich.

This is a journey, literally, up the mountain.

I don't believe any of this was grandly planned; it just fell into place, easily... perfectly.

The journey begins in the Ohligsberg, one of the most important sites of the Mosel, a vineyard made famous recently by both Julian Haart and Max Kilburg. (Because neither Robert nor Wolfram wanted to have to bring the wines to the wine bureaucrats, they have been bottled as simple "Landwein" and can neither use the proper vineyard or parcel names, nor can they be officially labeled as Kabinett Trocken. Therefore we have translated the sites into English, using a good amount of poetic license - Ohligsberg has become "Oil on the Mountain." Instead of Kabinett Trocken, the wines are simple labeled "KT.")

Above the Ohligsberg rests the Grosser Herrgott and the Geierslay, and each vineyard has a parcel where our journey continues. First, Simonsberg ("Simon's Mountain" in the Grosser Herrgott) and then, at the very top, the Neuberg ("The New Mountain" in the Geierslay).

Each wine is obviously unique; all of the wines are dense, compact; they are less and not more. They are dry. They are singular.

Robert playfully said he'd like to avoid grandiose sentiments, elaborate tasting notes. He didn't say this to me, but I think he thought that it made no sense to add absurd embellishments to a project that at its very core, was about simplicity and ease and beauty. There's no need to add gold sequins to a Donald Judd piece; the plywood is the point.

We've provided the Mosel Fine Wines reviews below, which Robert loved by the way, the general appreciation and respect without drama or hyperbole. But Robert wrote to me the following, which I think is lovely and true: "What to expect from these wines and Kabinett Trockens in general? Less. I know this isn't great marketing, but so many times ridiculous expectations ruin too many simple yet beautiful and perfect moments in life. Just try the wines."

He added, after a moment: "Personally, I'd recommend drinking these wines with the album Promise by Floating Points and Pharaoh Sanders. He sent me the following link, click here.

However, there is also another musical and visual dimension to this offer, to this project. On each bottle you will find a QR code designed into the label. Each QR code will take you to a music video. Each song has been composed especially for this project, for these wines, from a selection of some of Robert's favorite musicians and friends, including Alex Goose, Eothen Alapatt, Adam Manella and Skinny Pablo. See below for each video. 

I love everything about this. I guess we hope you do too?

This offer is now closed. If you need help finding the wines please emailorders@sourcematerialwine.com.

2021 @soilpimp selections - Wolfram Stempel Riesling "Oil on the Mountain" KT

"This is a bone-dry wine made from Kabinett-level fruit picked early in 2021 in the prime Wintricher Ohligsberg which underwent whole-bunch fermentation before being matured on its gross lees in stainless-steel tank and bottled in November 2022 (the wine is an exclusive for Source Material Wine in the US). It offers a nice nose made of pear, earthy spices, fresh juicy elements, and a hint of 'natural funk.' The wine is nicely firm and delicately smooth yet superbly crisp on the palate, where ginger and Asian spices add elegance. The finish has the lively precision of a racy Kabinett and leads to a crisp, tart, and mouthwatering aftertaste."

2021 @soilpimp selections - Wolfram Stempel Riesling "Simon's Mountain" KT
"This is a bone-dry wine made from Kabinett-level fruit picked early in 2021 in the steep Simonsberg part of the Wintricher Grosser Herrgott which underwent whole-bunch fermentation before being matured on its gross lees in used Barrique and bottled in November 2022 (the wine is an exclusive for Source Material Wine in the US). It offers a superb nose made of grapefruit, a hint of apricot, and herbs. The wine is firmly tart and still uncompromisingly primary on the palate where the citrusy and spicy elements are patiently waiting for their hour of glory. The finish is crisp and sharp, but also playful and delightfully light-weighted. This uncompromisingly racy expression of dry Kabinett really needs another year or two of bottle aging to reveal its beauty and charm. The potential is there!"

2021 @soilpimp selections - Wolfram Stempel Riesling "New Mountain" KT
"This is a bone-dry wine made from Kabinett-level fruit picked early in 2021 in the steep part of the Wintricher Geierslay (a vineyard previously known as Neuberg hence the name) which underwent whole-bunch fermentation before being matured on its gross lees in stainless-steel tank and bottled in November 2022 (the wine is an exclusive for Source Material Wine in the US). It offers a rather backward nose made of pear, citrusy elements, smoke, a hint of whipped cream, and quite some 'natural funk.' The wine proves beautifully crisp and yet also smooth on the clean palate and leaves a superb feel of herbs, grapefruit, and green apple in the long finish. The whole balance is that of a razor-sharp dry Kabinett with some added funk. The aftertaste is still quite tart and sharp but will round off at the edges with a year or two of bottle aging. This is made for lovers of uncompromisingly racy Kabinett!"


Wine: oil on the Mountain
Vineyard: Wintricher Ohligsberg
Music: Alex Goose
Video: Skinny Pablo


Wine: the mountain of simone
Vineyard: Grosser Hergott (Simonsberg parcel)
Music: Eothen Alapatt | Adam Manella
Video: Skinny Pablo


Wine: new mountain
Vineyard: Wintricher Geierslay (Neuberg parcel)
Music: Skinny Pablo
Video: Skinny Pablo