2007 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese

Fresh apple in counterpoint with lemon- and vanilla-cream characterize Loosen’s 2007 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese, which preserves terrific refreshment on the palate even as it slathers on cream. This is another one of those seemingly levitating, where’s-the-alcohol wines. Bitterness of vanilla bean grapefruit zest along with wet stone add further interest to a long finsh. I would anticipate at least 12-15 years of satisfaction. Despite slightly disappointing dry wines, and Kabinetts and nobly sweet wines that do not reach the heights established in those genres by this estate’s 2005s and 2006s respectively, Ernst Loosen and his cellar-master Bernard Schug have nonetheless scored considerable success in 2007, a vintage they describe as temperamentally between 2005 and 2004. As regards style and success rate, the comparison with 2004 seems about right to me. Harvest began already in the first week of October, but as usual at this address with its enormous acreage of top-notch vineyards, the early phase was taken up principally with highly selective picking for nobly sweet wine. “From the first day to the last,” comments Loosen, “each picker gets two tubs” for separating qualities of fruit. “And there were shriveled, TBA-quality grapes already on the first day this year,” adds Schug. Importer: Loosen Brothers, Portland, OR tel. (510) 864-7255