2011 Erdener Pralat Auslese Goldkapsel

Picked late – alongside the corresponding Grosses Gewachs – the Loosen 2011 Erdener Pralat Riesling Auslese gold capsule as such represents an inexplicable departure from the recent trend here to pick Pralat a bit earlier with more freshness and lower Oechsle. Mango, glazed pineapple, root beer and caramel inform a headily ripe and exotic nose – tinged with musk, sweat, and smoke – and also an almost syrupy-sweet and viscous palate. Piquant hints of orange rind and a bit of fresh orange juiciness are outgunned in the finish by the onslaught of caramelized tropical fruit concentrate. This finishes with undeniable if sticky persistence and it may well remain viable for a quarter century or more, but it will be a long wait before its sheer sense of sweetness begins to recede, so I would not cellar any unless you have a real sweet tooth. (And I trust my description has made clear to some of you that you will be more charmed with this elixir than was I. Viewed in isolation, it’s difficult to tell the difference between a gold capsule and a “long” gold capsule; so in case there were to be any doubt, this wine carries the A.P. #56.) “It’s really quite simple,” opined cellarmaster Bernhard Schug, “2010: not much (wine); high acids; ‘complicated’ vintage. 2011: good volume; acids normal, sometimes too little; no problems. But I taste some wines with problems this year. Where did they come from? People were overwhelmed and stressed by the volume. But from the standpoint of cellar technique this was an easy year provided you were organized. There was a danger with high yields that you could get thin wines. To counteract that it was important to leave them on the fine lees as long as possible,” and in fact, only one of the single vineyard trocken wines – which I have not had a chance to revisit since – had been bottled as of my visit last September. Kabinett bottlings this year perpetuate an estate trend, about which I have repeatedly written, toward lowering their residual sugar; though it must be said that 40-50 grams in the context of 2011 fruit generosity and low acidity comes off as decidedly sweet. This Loosen collection is especially successful in light of weaknesses I perceived in wines of other top-notch growers in Erden and Urzig where so many of this estate’s vineyards are located. Picking began already on September 22, but Schug hastens to assure me that his pace soon slackened noticeably in view of the continuing positive evolution of the fruit through early October. “It’s important to realize,” insists Schug, “that you can have almost any kind of weather all summer long – provided it doesn’t just rain continually, or hit the upper thirties (100+F.) for a week or more – because photosynthesis is guaranteed, whereas the quality difference is always going to be made by good weather in September and October.” Importer: Loosen Bros. USA Ltd. Oregon City, OR; tel. (503) 984-3041