2017 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Rotlay Riesling Auslese

On the nose are signaled the layers reflecting different conditions of fruit in a parcel picked en bloc , albeit at 116 Oechsle and with a lot of botrytis. Apple is represented in jellied, caramelized but also fresh form. Quince preserves and marzipan are balanced by bittersweetness of candied grapefruit peel, while honeysuckle and heliotrope perfume liquefies under the pressure of noble rot. A hint of smokiness puts me faintly in mind of Tokaji. And for all of its creamy, glossy texture, this wine seems to quiver with pent-up energy that breaks through on an astonishingly vibrant, bell-clear, mouthwateringly salt-tinged and downright juicy, not to mention ethereally floral finish. Selbach considers it a tribute to this parcel that a wine of such purity and with such elevated must weight yet layered complexity could be harvested without any selection. “It’s not in the least a literal Auslese,” he declared, insisting that “we took everything – and, believe me, there was zero dreck.”