There are only around 200 cases of Hasselbachs’ 2009 Nackenheimer Rotenberg Spatlese – fewer than half of their normal crop in this category. “For us,” explains Fritz Hasselbach, “grapes for Spatlese have to have at least 100 Oechsle and not many of them managed that this year. We had to select rigorously.” On counter-examination, though, he acknowledged that much of what came in at 100 or more was needed for this year’s Grosse Gewachse. A nose of quince preserves, lemon candy, pink grapefruit and a profusion of musky, sweet floral perfume reminiscent of peony and rose petal could almost come from a hypothetical blend of Loire Chenin and Alsace Gewurztraminer. Buoyant to the point of delicacy; glossy, creamy, and texturally seductive yet consistently refreshing, cooling, indeed almost sorbet-like, this manages to barely balance its high residual sugar, with its citrus and quince aspects as well as haunting florality informing a seductively succulent finish. It ought to be worth re-visiting over the next two decades, if not longer, and I expect it to be even more winsome after some of its superficial sweetness dissipates in a decade or so. Fritz and Agnes Hasselbach – who now have a new cellarmaster, Rhinehessian Joachim Janss – reported must weights from 2009 on average lower than in most recent vintages, which helps account for their reduced crop of Grosse Gewachse, Spatlese, and Auslese. “The foliage remained green” reports Fritz Hasselbach due to a lighter October frost than in many other Riesling-growing sectors, “but despite that, the must weights plateaued after the middle of that month – for the most part at around 90 Oechsle – and just didn’t go any higher.” Although there are now drip lines in these vineyards, the Hasselbachs report not having had to utilize them in 2009 as enough moisture was stored-up from the rains of early summer to keep their vines from suffering in any way under the onslaught of dry heat that came later on. Unfortunately, what has here become the usual round of picking in December, January, or even February of botrytis elixirs was not to take place from vintage 2009, since – presumably driven by last winter’s combination of deep snow and extreme cold – birds and other animals somehow successfully breached the nets in which the Hasselbach’s vines were shrouded and made short work of nearly all their remaining grapes. I am thus able already to report on the entire 2009 collection from this address, as well as on the pair of nobly sweet wines of 2008 that were harvested at the end of January, wines that inhabit their own world rather than reflecting vintage character, and which had not yet finished fermenting when I visited to taste in September, 2009 for my issue 187 report. Imported: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. 800 596 9463