2009 Gimmeldinger Schlossel Rieslaner Beerenauslese

Pineapple in syrup and salted caramel dominate the Muller-Catoir 2009 Gimmeldinger Schlossel Rieslaner Beerenauslese, whose dramatically buttery texture is uncannily allied to bright, juicy refreshment of fresh pineapple and lemon, while fresh ginger, radish, black tea, and white pepper lend a seemingly indelible tactile tenacity to a finish both confectionary and exhilaratingly refreshing. The ability to at once sooth and sharply invigorate sums up this wine’s remarkable, paradoxical gifts. Arguably, its Spatlese and Auslese counterparts from the Herzog are more refined, and there is a youthful overtone of yeastiness that needs to be integrated, but already the alliance among seemingly contradictory elements here points toward an almost magical endowment. Expect this to be riveting enough to follow for at least the next three decades. “Despite sporadic rain at harvest time,” notes Martin Franzen about the 2009 harvest, “cool weather kept botrytis completely at bay. Frankly,” he adds, “it was hard to make disappointing wine with raw materials of this caliber.” But it was also impossible to achieve nobly sweet results save from Rieslaner, with its notorious penchant for spontaneous desiccation even in the absence of botrytis. This is the first vintage, incidentally, for which this estate has claimed organic bona fides, and Franzen – even if predictably – claims to find additional depth in his wines thanks to that conversion. (Not that this estate has ever been anything but entirely circumspect in any use of herbicides or pesticides.) Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300