2015 Schloss Lieser Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese

This auctioned bottling delivers more intense lime and grapefruit citricity than its A.P. #10 sibling, and generates a correspondingly greater sense of energy and brightness. Yet ripe apple, pear and quince serve for succulence well supported by sweetness, and there is a flattering hint of creaminess. The sense of lift is as if suffused with helium. Unexpectedly cooling and incisive notes of mint and cress as well as a cucumber-like combination of mouthwatering juiciness and crunch turn the long finish here into an amazingly multifaceted extravaganza. (Note that unlike his father and brother at Weingut Fritz Haag, Thomas Haag does not attach specific A.P. numbers to specific bottlings year after year. So, for instance, last year’s auction Spätlese from the Juffer-Sonnenuhr bore A.P. #15.)

The 2015 (Brauneberger) Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese is clear and perfectly ripe on the nose, with super ripe Riesling flavors intermixed with delicate flint aromas. Full-bodied, piquant and lush on the palate, with a very good concentration, the JSU is quite racy and still somewhat reductive on the palate; it finishes with a nicely piquant purity and stimulating salinity. Just give it another 5-10 years of time.

AP number 10 16. Still quite smoky on the nose. Refined crunchy fruit on the palate with strong green-apple flavours. Still unformed but it’s all buried in here. Massive acidity for the moment. GV (JR)