2010 Saarburger Rausch Auslese GK 4

Figure on a good four decades of high-quality life. Zilliken’s 2010 Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese gold capsule A.P. #4 was, he assures me, rendered in a volume closer to what would associate in normal years with a Spatlese than with even a regular Auslese. “Here there was a lot more botrytis, yet the fruit was lower in acidity” than for the “regular” Auslesen, he notes by way of among other things explaining this wine’s caramel overtones and creaminess of texture. The nobly fungal, carnal, and musky notes that characterized the A.P. #5 are present here in spades, another obvious legacy of its advanced botrytization. Ennobled richness of caramelized peach and mango. concentrated lime and pink grapefruit. honeysuckle, rowan and orange blossom. as well as creamy and caressing textural allure improbable for this vintage (and given what is still extremely high acidity) are here allied to the sort of transparency to stony, saline, smoky, and crystalline nuances that was otherwise achieved in the present collection only “way back” with the Spatlese A.P. #8 This finishes with a shimmering cascade of fruit essences and mineral matter. I imagine it will dazzle over the next half century. David Schildknecht, eRobertParker.com