2005 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese**

If readers are getting the impression that this is the year of Schlossberg, they may well be right, but there is another block-picked but yet richer and more botrytized “three star” 2005 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese*** to consider. The scents and flavors of vanilla, nougat, butter cream, apple jelly, and honey here are themselves practically mouth-filling. Then one sips, and an incredibly dense, bright, concentrate of fruit and nut essences emerges, profoundly layered, coated with honey, vanilla cream, malt, brown spices, and honey, yet never losing a fresh-fruited core, and absolutely clear, pure, refined, and free from any blemish or roughness. It might be only once in a lifetime that a vintner can pick such a wine right off the vine, without selection, opines Johannes Selbach. The finish positively reverberates in its multiple registers against walls of slate. Three or four decades will not be an unrealistic estimate of this wine's longevity. Incidentally, this year's amazing collection of Selbach-Oster Auslesen – which, as readers can see, is replete with outstanding values – was in most instances bottled in 375 ml. as well as in 750 ml. bottles. “For me, 2005 is a singular vintage in my career,” says Johannes Selbach, “in that it is ripe, multi-faceted, and has excellent acidity. You can pick any of the other recent classics – 1975, 1990 ... . Each of the benchmark years is great in its way, however here you have a combination that is fun to drink now, ten years from now, and in thirty years as well. It remains to be seen, but I think 2005 is in another league.” Readers will indeed be hard pressed this year to find another address with this many consistently outstanding wines, and when has there ever been a more diverse and at the same time magnificent array of Auslesen? In their upper reaches, the Selbach 2005s seem – like Zilliken's, but in their own unique way – to chart a trajectory beyond the normal course for their vintage. The harvest here extended from mid-October to mid-November. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300