2015 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese (Auction Res)

A faint, yeasty veil needs to clear. Ripe apple and quince are garlanded in honeysuckle and lily and met by a hint of mango more predictable at this level of ripeness than were the tropical effusions harbored by the corresponding Kabinett. Strikingly creamy as well as delicate, the midpalate adds bright lime juiciness, apple seed piquancy and bittersweet vanilla bean, all of which go on to inform a lusciously ripe yet vibrant and refreshing finish. This is lovely, but it does illustrate what the Prüms consider typical youthful Wehlener Sonnenuhr behavior, insofar as it’s not quite as expressive or possessed of the same intrigue today as are the corresponding Zeltinger Sonnenuhr or (despite its initially veiled nose) the Graacher Himmelreich. (There was also an auctioned Himmelreich Auslese Goldkapsel, but I have not had opportunity to taste it.)

Challenged by the 2015 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spätlese, the 2015 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese (AP 13) gives all its charm to keep its legendary number one status among the Jay-Jay classics. In fact, the 2015 opens with a very clear, fine and floral bouquet of white fruits, flowers and weathered slate. It's sweet, lush and juicy on the seductive palate, with a piquant acidity and tight, but still very elegant structure. This is a gorgeous Spätlese that has more sweetness and charm compared to the Zeltingen Spätlese; the latter is more straight, piquant and mineral, with less fruit flesh and sensuality, but intellectual ambitions.

Smells just like guava! Much fuller and more generous and broader of shoulder than the Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Spätlese. A glimmer of charm under the Prüm stiffness, even a bit of glistening, jewelled tropical fruit, although all this un-Prüm-like frivolity comes not without a corset of palate-scrubbing acidity and a ramrod spine of minerality. So much freshness and quite staggering concentration. (TC)