2011 Willi Schaefer Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese

Not only is there a yeasty, slightly cheesy veil over the nose of Schaefer’s 2011 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese, there’s also a surprising whiff of petrol. Beyond that, vintage-typical effusively ripe apple and Persian melon are also wreathed in honeysuckle and lily-of-the-valley for a buoyant, wafting palate impression that tingles with citrus zest, crystalline mineral impingement, and saliva-liberating salinity in a long, infectiously juicy finish. I’m keeping faith with this and am confident it will shed its fermentative aromatic residues over the short term. “What there was of botrytis was fantastic,” says Christoph Schaefer, “nicely dried and beautiful, but there wasn’t much – nothing compared with 2010 (when it comes to quantities of botrytis wine). But all of the other fruit was wonderfully ripened to Kabinett or Spatlese and what we got over and beyond that came through selecting. With the good October weather we could organize our time and pick without urgency.” “We tried picking earlier but weren’t happy with the results,” adds Willi Schaefer. “We had to wait until the middle to end of October to get optimal flavors. The old vines always have the quality in them and we don’t need to worry. They have their rhythm, and whether they get a bit more or a bit less botrytis we just have to wait and see. It’s really interesting in retrospect,” he continues, “to compare 2011 and 2010. According to the analyses, you’d think ‘there’s a world of difference between these two,’ but in 2010 the acidity is well-buffered whereas in 2011 the wines taste higher in acidity than they are, so the difference is not so enormous.” Certainly there are few 2011 Mosel Rieslings, though, that better illustrate this vintage’s potential to delivery levity and refreshment along with ripeness than do those of Weingut Willi Schaefer. “More Schaefer than 2011” was how Christophe Schaefer pithily but profoundly characterized his A.P. #10, and arguably that applies to all of this vintage’s most successful Schaefer offerings. Bottling was, as usual, in April and May, but while the wines were for the most part left on their fine lees until then – both Schaefers supporting the notion that this was beneficial in 2011, albeit for reasons other than those that applied in 2010 – some of them were racked to tank over the winter as it was felt that more exchange of oxygen in cask was not what most infant 2011s needed. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300