2009 Erdener Pralat Auslese Goldkapsel

Mirabelle and herbal distillates along with peat-like and blond tobacco smokiness in the nose of the 2009 Erdener Pralat Riesling Auslese gold capsule A.P. #43 – a bottling not auctioned but offered on Loosen’s regular price list, by the way – usher in a concentrated yet almost airily delicate palate resembling an orange and vanilla creamsicle drenched in the aforementioned distillates. The pungency of botrytis is evidenced again in a finish of delicate, distinctively delicious persistence. This is understated and lithe in comparison with the gaudy, often plump style of Pralat that long-prevailed this address, and if it is not clearly more exciting today than its “regular” counterpart, this does not mean it fails to make its own singular statement already today, or that it won’t ultimately be more complex. In any event, we’re talking about a wine worth following for three decades. “I want real Kabinetts,” says Ernst Loosen by way of explaining his early start on the 2009 harvest, “between 80 and 83 Oechsle, with crisp acidity, freshness, and the like; and you can’t wait around, especially when you have five, maybe seven days of Kabinett-picking to do and every day ripeness is rising. This year, we wanted to delineate even more sharply the difference between Kabinett and Spatlese, as well as a distinct difference between Spatlese and Auslese.” In practical terms, this meant among other things slightly reducing the levels of residual sugar in the Kabinetts (Loosen says that trend will continue incrementally); and reserving botrytis fruit solely for wines labeled “Auslese.” Eiswein from Lay, Treppchen, and Sonnenuhr; Eiswein and T.B.A. from Pralat; as well as a T.B.A. from Wurzgarten were all – according to cellarmaster Bernhard Schug – in various states of fermentation or preparation for bottling when I visited in September, so consequently I shall review those wines (or at least some subset thereof) at such time as I report on the 2010 vintage. Importer: Loosen Brothers, Portland, OR tel. (510) 864-7255