2004 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Eiswein

When the Graacher Himmelrech was recently systematically replanted, an adjacent portion of Loosen’s Wehleher Sonnenuhr was as well. Trained to wires (a rarity anywhere on the Mosel), the young vines now lend themselves, in anticipation of frost, to efficient shrouding in plastic film of a uniformly high fruit zone. The first results, a 2004 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Eiswein, are impressive in their purity and concentration if not yet in terms of complex flavor interplay. Had I tasted this blind - whether or not I would have picked it as a Graacher Himmelreich - I would certainly not have said “Wehlener Sonneuhr”. It smells of lemon and apple candy, with a honey and apple jelly-drizzled lemon meringue character in the mouth, and a strong finish, dominated by honeyed lemon and pineapple. Importer: Loosen Brothers, Portland, OR; tel. (510) 864-7255