2018 Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Spätlese

"I love this wine," says Wilhelm Weil, who remembers the 1971 that he loved so much when he was still a child and stole a sip or two from vat no. 07 whenever his parents were away. "The 2018 Kiedrich Gräfenberg Spätlese is one of the finest in living memories of Robert Weil," he says. In fact, the 2018, based on grapes picked at 103° Oechsle and bottled with 9.3% alcohol and 65 grams of residual sugar, is so clear, precise and fresh as well as flinty, like the generic Spätlese but with so much more intensity and concentration. On the palate, this Gräfenberg Spätlese is lush but enormously precise, piquant and firm, very elegant and complex, with fascinating acidity and phenolic as well as mineral grip and tension. A fascinating wine and one of the finest Spätlese in Germany from the 2018 vintage. So mouthwatering and stimulating due to a low pH level and 10 grams of total acidity. However, Weil says the freshness is thanks to the "Bernsteinsäure" that characterizes many of the 2018s.

A very complex array of pure and intense citrus fruit with grapefruit, lemon, kumquat and lime. Minerals and flowers add interest, too. The palate is phenomenal, so melded together with a perfect fusion of acidity and sugar, which is the essence of great Spätlese. The ripe peaches and mangoess are stunning. So long and so balanced. Incredible. Drink or hold.

What makes the Gräfenberg Spätlese unique is not its generous array of exotic fruit, but the way it is delivered: with an energy and vibrancy that continues to stimulate the sensory perception long after the physical act of tasting has been completed. Call it an electric oscillation on the palate. (MS)