2016 Graacher Domprobst Auslese GK (Auction)

This auction bottling from the Fergert portion of Domprobst (toward Wehlen) was raised in glass because, as Christoph Schaefer laughingly put it, “we don’t have a cask that would accommodate a mere 200 liters.” Lack of contact with wood can’t have handicapped it! White peach and quince preserves on the nose also dominate on a glycerol-slicked, creamy, buoyant palate. A subtly cooling infusion of wintergreen and a rich mingling of cashew butter and caramel add to the allure of a sensationally sustained finish that somehow both grips and caresses, while introducing an unexpected influx of animating fresh peach and a mouthwatering suffusion of mineral salts. Willi Schaefer has frequently voiced concern lest his loyal, long-time customers perceive a rare bottling auctioned at a high price as the cream of the vintage skimmed off and out of reach. I am afraid that in this vintage, we “regulars” will simply have to live with that perception and be happy for our annual share of a collection that is nowadays routinely announced on the estate’s price list with an unbroken column of “sold out.”