2007 Saarburger Rausch Auslese

Representing a thousand liters of wine offered on the estate’s regular price list, the Zilliken 2007 Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule A.P. #3 reflects the accumulation of shriveled, botrytized berries in the clusters in its enhanced viscosity and its suggestions of honey, caramel, and white raisins, along with pink grapefruit, dried apricot, and pineapple. The nobly sweet side of this wine contends on the palate with a bright citrus side. This lacks the alluring texture, lift, or focus of the A.P.#4 Auslese, but it’s early days for a wine that finishes strongly and will surely be giving pleasure still a quarter of a century or more from now. It might seem hard to believe that Hanno Zilliken could once again out-performed a vintage in the way that he did 2005 and 2006. But his having designated an unprecedented four different wines of the 2007 vintage as auction offerings certainly speaks to his confidence – well-founded, I would say – in the quality of this collection’s top end. The vintage’s “Riesling Butterfly” – stemming largely from Saarburg’s Antoniousbrunnen and Bergschlosschen vineyards (behind the Rausch, and overlooking a tiny Saar tributary) and in only small measure from the Rausch and Bockstein – was reviewed in issue 184 and remains lovely, if at present less generous than there-described. No off-dry generic estate Riesling was bottled this vintage, and with 2008 Zilliken will be seen to have made other changes in the lower half of his price list. Importer: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA 800 596 9463