2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Auslese

Representing a single cask of 300 liters from relatively healthy fruit in a steep parcel just behind the press house (and adjacent to the excavated and reconstructed Roman press), his 2010 Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Auslese #15, relates Johannes Haart, would not have done anything for the Auslese that became A.P. #16, nor vice-versa; so each was bottled separately – and what a wine this is on its own! We have here marginally higher alcohol and lower residual sugar as reflects less fermentative inhibition from botrytis. This displays the most vivid and alluring aromatics of any wine in the present collection, its black currant, pineapple, and grapefruit delivering both pungent zest and consummate refreshment despite the wine’s high ripeness, palpably high extract, and fetching, improbably hint of creaminess. High acidity is in no danger here of becoming obstreperous. Fusil, wet stone, and mouthwateringly saline notes as well as high-toned tarragon and mint add further interest and attraction, again undeterred by sheer ripeness. This striking success should remain riveting over the next 3-4 decades. The clean, lithe, relatively rapier style of this wine, incidentally, is what kept Haarts from offering it at auction, where it would inevitably have been in the company of especially opulent and ennobled Auslesen. Theo and Johannes Haart commenced harvesting already in mid-October, no later than they had last year, and were finished by month’s end. Their diversity of sites permitted a significant amount of genuine Kabinett to be picked as well as concentrated high must-weight and ennobled bottlings. De-acidification was performed with double-salt on the must, generally affecting only certain lots of an eventual cuvee. Many 2010 collections displayed – as their wines’ levels of Oechsle climbed into the stratosphere – a falling-away, if not of ultimate quality, then certainly of my confidence in it; but in the present instance, that happened only after some impressive successes had been racked up along the way. With a couple of exceptions that were entirely botrytis-free and fermented rapidly, most of this year’s collection was bottled in July and August, significantly later than usual. Incidentally, both the Haarts and Andreas Adam report that wild boar – an increasing problem throughout the Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer – have reached such destructive proportions in Piesport that there is talk of trying to erect a huge fence around the entirety of this famous village’s prime acreage.” Importer: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. (800) 596- 9463