2009 Monzinger Halenberg Spatlese

The Emrich-Schonleber 2009 Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Spatlese displays a soothing as well as refreshing and metaphorically remarkably cooling amalgam of honeydew melon, lime, grapefruit, wintergreen, and mint. There is a faintly Sauvignon-like aura here, but at the same time this shows its sweetness much more obviously than does the corresponding Fruhlingsplatzchen that had been picked a week earlier (and in fact at marginally higher acidity). As with the other best Schonleber wines of its vintage – dry or sweet – there is a marvelous sense of transparency, in this case to saline, stony, and crystalline mineral impingement that engenders invigoration and helps offset the sense of sweetness and subtle caramelization in the wine’s long finish. Werner and Frank Schonleber harvested through nearly the entire month of October, and noted that levels of sugar and total acidity remained fairly constant, while flavors kept improving and malic acid diminishing in favor of tartaric. Speaking of improving, it’s hard for these two vintners to much-improve their by now phenomenal batting average, but no Riesling lover is likely to suffer the least disappointment by buying bottles of Emrich-Schonleber 2009s. Especially at its dry end, this is a collection to describe which seems to call for an extended mineral vocabulary that doesn’t even exist in English or German! And in nobly sweet echelons, the small amount of Riesling the Schonlebers rendered is strikingly successful and informed by an ample if mysterious measure of sheer juiciness. About the absence of Eiswein, Frank Schonleber notes: “We had the feeling that ripeness had simply advanced too far in 2009 to justify leaving any grapes hanging in anticipation of frost.” Imported by Sussex Wine Merchants, Moorestown, NJ; tel. (856) 608 9644; also imported by Dee Vine Wines, San Francisco, CA tel. (877) 389- 9463