2008 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese

The sense of clarity in the Joh. Jos. Prum 2008 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese extends also to an aromatic display unclouded by the sort of fermentative notes found in the corresponding Spatlese and Kabinett when I tasted those. Honeysuckle, heliotrope, distilled herbal essences, apple and quince practically explode from the glass, and lush marzipan, vanilla cream, quince preserves, and apple jelly as well as liquid floral essences inform a nevertheless refreshing palate. Savory saline as well as stony and somehow crystalline expressions of things mineral add counterpoint and complexity, and this finishes with extraordinary, saliva-inducing persistence. “The sort of further selection of botrytis grapes that we did this year in Graach,” remarks Manfred Prum, “would not have succeeded in Wehlen” where no further Auslese was essayed, and I would not be surprised if the inclusion in this wine of parcels whose fruit might more often have been destined for auction is part of what renders it so impressive. The Prums compare 2008 with 2004 and as such consider it a classic Spatlese year, with thankfully with more wine in the Kabinett range that this estate has seen in many years. And if you remain unconvinced after tasting the present collection that residually sweet Kabinett Riesling is capable not only of reflecting the full potential of great Mosel vineyard sites but also capable of profundity and greatness per se, then you never will be. The above having been noted, the range of Auslesen here this year, while small, is extraordinary. The 2008 collection also includes January, 2009 Eiswein from the Wehlener Sonnenuhr and Graacher Himmelreich which I did not taste. As in past reports, it should be noted that while there are multiple bottlings of Prum Kabinetts or Spatlesen from a given vineyard in any given vintage, the estate is at pains to insist that the differences are minimal, and I am not privy to the A.P. #s of most non-auction bottlings that I taste there, nor would I pretend to the ability to unerringly match a wine sampled later from a labeled bottle with the specific lot I had tasted previously at the estate. Various importers including: P. J. Valckenberg International, Tulsa, OK; tel. 918 622 0424 and Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA 800 596 9463