2005 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Auslese*

The “two star” 2005 Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Auslese** married significantly botrytized bunches with others that were still healthy and golden, and is the highest in acid (at more than nine grams) of this year's Selbach Auslesen. An intense, spirituous nose of apple, mango, and herbal essences is laced with honey and brown spices. On the palate, it exhibits liqueur-like and jellied richness, amazing density, and yet from somewhere still manages to call forth reserves of sheer sap and fresh-fruited juiciness of pineapple, lime, and apple that refresh and stimulate even as one wonders at the wine's sheer concentration. And through all of this amazing display of fruit, spice, herbal essences, and honey, there is also a suffusion of wet stone and smoky Schlossberg-slate. The finish soars and penetrates like an arrow. If you're young enough, buy enough to follow this extraordinary value for 30 years. If you think you aren't, then a glass of this amazing elixir in its youth might be just what you need to change your long-term outlook! “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