Picked-out in mid-harvest from bunches with very little botrytis, the Kerpen 2008 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese smells of lily and heliotrope which - much as in its "one-star" Spatlese counterpart - persist alluringly on the palate, joined by a creamy yet refreshing matrix of apple and almond paste. Irresistibly soothing and perfumed; gravity-defying in its buoyancy; this ravishing Riesling finishes with deep malt and Tupelo honey adding depth and supported by pronounced sweetness, without becoming weighed-down or maudlin. It should prove fascinating to follow for at least the next 20 years and be especially delightful after some of its sweetness has backed-off, probably a decade from now. In recent years, Martin Kerpen has increasingly proven himself a master of dry Riesling, and the acid structure and relatively moderate accumulation of grape sugar relative to phenolic ripeness that characterize 2008 played into his skilled hand in that genre, in which, additionally, he relied increasingly this year on ambient yeasts. (Of course, he is adept with residually sweet Riesling as well.) it's interesting to study Kerpen's detailed map of vineyard parcels, incidentally, and to see how after the controversial Flurbereinigung or general vineyard restructuring and replanting that is now under way in Wehlen, he will end up with around 8-9 parcels - some identical to his current acreage - or about half the number into which his total landholdings are morsellated at present.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

With peach, vanilla, a whiff of white raisin, and a resinous, caramelized note that suggests maple syrup, the Kerpen 2006 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese comes to the palate polished, creamy, honeyed, and sedate. Yet, a clear, fresh apple and peach dimension emerges, and is nicely complemented by saline and slate stone notes. Here is one of those instances where the botrytis of 2006 is intricately woven into the wine’s fabric as a subtle enrichment. The finish offers sheer refreshment, along with complexities of fruit, flower, and mineral worthy of chamber music, rather than the orchestral sonorities one might expect from a year of rampant botrytis and mega-must weights: once again we meet the contradictory complexity of the vintage. Feel free to follow this for 20 years. Martin Kerpen and his vines had a hard act to follow after their successes in 2005 but were more than up to the task, confirming the hypothesis that these always excellent wines have crossed a new quality threshold. Still, the last place I would have imagined 2006s keeping pace was in the range of trocken.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300