Exclusively from the family's oldest plot and from 80- to 120-year-old vines, the intensely citrus-yellow colored 2018 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese is dense and concentrated on the nose and palate but, at the same time, also incredibly clear, tight and fresh. Picked at 235°- 240° Oechsle and fermented in stainless steel until the end of March, the spicy, grapefruit-tinged nose is insane in its freshness, precision and piquancy. This is so clear! Any botrytis here? "Yes," says Constantin Richter. "Botrytis set in in late August when the berries were already fully ripe but still had a good share of acidity. Since the rest of the autumn was dry and sunny, the ingredients were more and more concentrated so that in the end we got relatively high must weights and high acidity levels. The botrytis was perfectly clean; I guess I never saw a better one. We immediately tasted the extraordinary character of the extremely clear and healthy juice after the pressing and after we had stopped the fermentation, which went through quickly given this highly lively concentration. Because everything was so clear, bright and fresh, we didn't need as much sulfur as we normally do. Thus, I even taste the Sonnenuhr character here, if I may say so about such a sweet and concentrated wine." Viscous and certainly very sweet on the palate, this is a highly elegant and refined TBA with remarkable freshness, piquancy and great balance. It really drinks beautifully already, so take a glass instead of a spoon. This is a highly filigreed, playful and homogeneous TBA that flows quietly and serenely over the palate. The finish is terribly stimulating. This is going to be expensive drinking fun... Tasted in July and August 2019.