2006 Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Auslese GK 12

The Haags’ 2006 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese Gold Capsule A.P. #12 concentrates remarkably fresh peach, nectarine, and citrus with vanilla and caramel. There is also an intense impression of liqueur-like floral and herbal essences. The combination of fresh tart fruit with caramel, youthful yeastiness, and smoky botrytis hints give this something of the impression of a fruit tart coming right from the oven, glazed with honey, and served up with vanilla cream. But that metaphor fails to do justice to the amazing sense of vivacity, energy, and sheer sap for a wine this ripe and ennobled. Here is another instance of the (seeming) contradictions of 2006 at its best. Oliver and Wilhelm Haag have fielded their third sensational collection in a row, but then, superlatives are hardly new to this address, there are simply more of them this year then ever before. Wilhelm Haag compares 2006 with 1953 – a fabled vintage he remembers helping to harvest as a teenager – for its “desiccated, incredibly healthy botrytis,” adding “I plan to drink these in my second life.” They started picking immediately after October 3, and when I asked Wilhelm Haag whether a particular bottling had been picked early, he laughed and replied “they were all picked early! When I saw the must weights that were coming in, I thought they were too high for Spatlese and even Auslese, and that the wines would be too broad, but I must say, today – even with the botrytis – they have a wonderfully elegant effect.” Importer: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. (800) 5960-9463