Mosel Riesing Auslese - 3 Beautiful Words

If you haven't noticed yet, I'm a huge fan of German riesling, so much so that in 2011 I made a pilgrimage to riesling's Mecca, Germany's Mosel Valley. I picked up a lot of wine while I was there: dry, off-dry and dessert. After all, there's a riesling for every occasion.


The steep slopes of a classic Mosel Valley riesling vineyard



I was in the mood for something a bit sweet the other day, so I opened this wine: 2008 K. Schmitz-Bergweiler Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese *** (Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer) This riesling comes from the Würzgarten vineyard in the Mosel town of Ürzig. Auslese is a German tern for "special harvest," which means the fruit is riper than "spätlese" wines when they are harvested. Yes, this means there's some sweetness in this wine, but don't write it off just yet. Sugar is good, especially when balanced and crisp like this wine.

In the glass, this wine displays a gorgeous honey, apricot color, with thick legs running down the glass.

Initial aromas of apricot, oil and lychee candy. It's very fragrant and powerful, and with time the aromas evolved into lilies and white clover. Gobs of apricot and honey on the palate. There's a Sprite-like rush of sweet lemon-lime that comes in and provides some acid. The minerals tingle all the way through. The clover honey and white peach flavors are rich but not at all overwhelming. There’s a light and zingy feel to this wine which keeps it fresh. Of course it has sweetness, but the minerals and citrus flavors complement the sugar

This lovely prize from Ürziger Würzgarten will develop complexity for twenty years, easily.

92 pts IJB