2012 Erdener Pralat Grosses Gewachs Reserve

Like its two Grosses Gewächs Reserve siblings of this vintage, I was more convinced by this wine after revisiting it with more than a year in bottle. That said, it never revealed clarity or distinctive textural allure comparable to those of the corresponding Sonnenuhr and Würzgarten bottlings. Sachet-like notes of faded flowers and dried orange peel marry intriguingly in the nose with notes of moss and alkali. Subtly creamy in texture when tasted soon after bottling, this was unexpectedly firmer in feel a year later. But it retains a fine sense of primary juiciness – any suspicions that extended cask time might have a drying effect have been allayed by the initial releases in this series – which carries into an impressively persistent, invigoratingly zesty finish featuring orange and tangerine underlain by wet stone. In the absence of a track record for this approach to Prälat, my prognosis of ageworthiness must be taken as unusually speculative.

Another stunning dry Riesling from Ernst Loosen that has spent 24 months on the gross lees in barrel. The yellow fruit aromas (peach, mango, pineapple) of this wine are really intense but also delightfully fresh and charming. The wine has a breathtaking succulence and behind that great acidity for a vintage that was sometimes a shade on the soft side. The interplay of ripe fruit and minerals on the finish is seriously erotic. Dec 2016, www.jamessuckling.com

(Dr. Loosen Erdener Prälat Riesling Alte Reben Reserve GG) AP: 65 14. The Prälat Reserve GG is made from very old un-grafted vines. It is fermented with ambient yeasts and aged in oak for 24 months before being bottled. A telltale nose of Prälat driven by gorgeous yellow fruits, almond and pineapple, all lifted up by grapefruit, captures immediately one’s attention. The wine is still quite closed and somewhat tart at this early stage, but hints already at great fruitiness and finesse on the palate. There is quite some power and stunning length in the finish. This is a superb dry Riesling in the making with huge potential. Oct 2015, www.moselfinewines.com, Drink: 2022-2042