2011 Weister-Kunstler - Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling Spatlese

While possessed to a lesser degree of the sort of fermentative shroud that characterized the corresponding Kabinett, Weiser and Kunstler’s 2011 Enkircher Ellergrub Riesling Spatlese also shares that wine’s delicacy, impeccable sugar-acid balance and refreshing brightness. A honeyed overlay to Persian melon signals the extra degree of ripeness to its fruit, but crisp-edged apple and juicy grapefruit ally with subtle salinity for a mouthwatering finish. The “creative tension” of which I wrote in issue 192 between life- and business-partners Konstantin Weiser and Alexandra Kunstler appears to continue, with Weiser taking the lead in both advocating and shepherding into bottle strikingly low-alcohol and unabashedly sweet wines while Kunstler remains especially focused on dry ones. “All of our parcels had to be picked selectively this year,” notes Kunstler, “even those where we harvested Kabinett, because if nothing else there was botrytis to remove first.” As is frequently the case at this address, some wines in the present collection were awkwardly marked by yeasty and fermentative aromas when I tasted them at the end of last summer. I have not had opportunity to revisit these, but they may well be more expressive after their first year in bottle. Importers: Vom Boden Imports, New York, NY; info@vomboden.com; also, a Bill Mayer Age of Riesling Selection, imported by Valley View Wine Sales, Glen Ellen, CA; tel. (510) 549-2444