At 12.5% alcohol – one degree up from last year – you can’t in any sense call Kerpen’s 2009 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese trocken “l(fā)ight,” but its richness is enveloping and its texture flatteringly creamy without there being any sense of flaccidness. In fact, it comes off as fleeter-of-foot not to mention more elegant than the corresponding Kabinett. Apple blossom and honeysuckle in the nose lead to a bittersweet alternation of vanilla and apple pit with juicy fresh apple flesh and liquid floral perfume. Lip-smacking salinity and subtle minerality inform a convincingly persistent, bittersweet finish. This should be a delight for at least 4-6 years. 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