2011 Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Auslese LGK 22

The Haag auction-designated 2011 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese Long Gold Capsule charts territory not approached by any other Auslese in its collection. The first difference you note is the vivid and prominent evocation of wet stone, beginning even in the nose; and then an amazingly fresh fruit concentration of white peach, grapefruit and lime that conduces to phenomenal focus, penetration and grip. A lot of white raisin character as well as a hint of caramel emerge as this viscous, creamy elixir opens-up but that doesn’t in any way interfere with the clarity, energy, or sheer juiciness that inhabits its superbly-sustained finish. Look for three or four decades of profound entertainment. “We started picking at the beginning of October,” relates Oliver Haag “because must weights were already high for Kabinett, but there was good acidity.” Haag pressed whole clusters rather than either crushing or permitting skin contact for his dry wines, and tended to favor a higher percentage of stainless steel for vinification and elevage because, as he puts it, “the material was all so ripe that I was worried it would come off as too opulent and voluminous.” Without question, he thereby puts his finger on a legitimate concern, and his own wines illustrate the truth that higher alcoholic volume and opulence – no matter what appears on the Riesling’s label – aren’t necessarily virtues, and in particular not in the context of this vintage. “To convey a sense of levity this year,” notes Haag, “was not so easy. Not that there was much botrytis out there,” he adds, though fortunately that fact did not deter him from rendering several spectacular ennobled wines in small volumes. Importer: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. (800) 596-9463