2006 Niederberg Helden Beerenauslese

The 2006 Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Beerenauslese represents an aromatically pungent but complex and not at all blatant expression of botrytis, with citrus peel, brown spices, and distilled fruit notes, mingled with yeasty hints of fresh bread. Quince, white peach, and pineapple dominate on the silken, subtly caramelized, custardy-rich and viscous, yet light, and wonderfully pure palate, where a savory, meaty, truffly undertone lends intrigue. Density, purity, complex botrytization and yet inviting primary juiciness of fresh fruit mark this remarkable, persistent Riesling, another that should easily weather 3-4 decades. Both of Wilhelm Haag’s sons were away during the period of my annual Mosel cellar trawls, so he and I had the pleasure of tasting through Thomas Haag’s collection together, and it was clear that Haag senior was no less impressed than I by the extraordinary quality on exhibit. For the most part, Thomas Haag’s wines are unabashedly sweet, often marked by youthful fermentative aromas (including the occasionally off-putting sulfurous note), and possessed of a delicacy that will mark them in most wine lovers’ imaginations as wines requiring cellaring as well as drinking for their own sake rather than their culinary compatibility. In these respects, they most closely represent the iconic Riesling of Joh. Jos. Prum. All of this said, practically the only dry wine that Thomas Haag bottles, his generic Riesling, has been a hit from his very first (1992) vintage, which I fondly recall having written up as “a high point for ‘simple estate Riesling’ ... and for dry Mosel.” RieslingImporter: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. (800) 596-9463