Poached pear, cassis, dark cherry, fresh lime, and nut oils scent the Kerpen 2009 Bernkasteler Bratenhofchen Riesling Spatlese and spill lusciously onto a glycerin-rich, yet lively and buoyant palate. Savory salinity and wet stone offer further interest to a superbly succulent and persistent finish. Here’s yet another impeccably-balanced residually sweet Kerpen Riesling that should fare well for two decades if not beyond. Martin Kerpen’s 2009 collection Rieslings possess uncommon brightness for their vintage, and he continues to excel across a blessedly broad stylistic range, from legally trocken through nobly sweet – and, more importantly, with plenty of successful stops in-between. It’s worth noting that Kerpen is especially keen on the quality of his nobly sweet 2009s – wines that are certainly close to off-the-charts on paper – although as readers can see, my praise for them is more selective.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300