2007 Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spätlese

The Haart 2007 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese smells of lightly caramelized peach, nut brittle, grilled pineapple, and sassafras. Vivid fruit skin tartness and juicy citrus and a sense of crushed stone suffusion offer a satisfying foil to the caramelized, toasted, and honeyed elements of this imposing and enormously ripe Spatlese that finishes with an endearing and memorable sense of lift. One can plan on following it for a couple of decades. Theo and son Johannes Haart had memorable success in 2007, a vintage Haart senior compares in quality and style with 2001, and whose wines he thinks will need longer than usual to show their true meddle. This year’s surprisingly numerous dry-tasting wines seem on the whole marginally disappointing, although those wines too deserve patience. Importer: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. 800 596 9463