2018 Dr. Hermann Erdener Pralat Riesling Auslese Gold Kapsel

This reflects roughly the same condition of grapes – extensively desiccated but largely healthy – and must weight (112 Oechsle) as the corresponding Treppchen “#23,” though Hermann assessed the Prälat as “finer.” Candied orange peel, decadent lily perfume, marzipan, vanilla and demerara sugar feature on the nose and the confectionary, creamy, glossy palate of this envelopingly rich and prominently sweet offering. For all of its opulence, it preserves an uncanny sense of buoyancy, and it finishes with impressive and soothing persistence. But the bright juiciness and mouthwatering salinity that emerge on the finish of Treppchen #23 are absent here – not that this surprises me, given Prälat’s proclivities.