Weingut Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese Trocken, Mosel, Germany

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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

At 11.5% alcohol, the Kerpen 2008 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese trocken is half a percentage lighter than its Domprobst and Alte Reben counterparts and weighs in at precisely the level I wrote that the 2007 (at 12.5%) tasted as though it had, all of which is worth noting simply because this, too, is an uncannily well-balanced Riesling that combines levity and refreshment with an underlying sense of stuffing, enhanced by a polished, creamy texture. Aromas and juicy palate presence of fresh apple and white peach are beautifully accented by peach kernel, apple pit, and walnut, while apple blossom and musky narcissus waft all the way through and into a long, succulent finish. I'd plan on enjoying this over the next 4-6 years. 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

And as Kerpen has demonstrated again and again – most recently with a shimmering, mineral, impeccably-balanced “one star” 1990 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese I tasted with him last summer – his wines can go the distance. Fresh lime, lemon, and apple are the principle themes on the nose and palate of Kerpen’s well-stuffed 2007 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese trocken. Cooling herbal notes in the finish help add a sense of refreshment; 12.5% alcohol acts like 11.5%; and the wine’s palpable sense of extract does not preclude a sense of lift in the finish. This should perform well for at least 4-5 years. While Martin Kerpen’s extensive array of dry Rieslings from 2007 is not on quite the superlative order of their immediate predecessors, his residually sweet wines are again highly successful.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel (516) 677-9300

Kerpen’s envelopingly rich and creamy 2006 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese trocken generates interesting counterpoint with its faintly bitter notes of vanilla, peach kernel, and apple pit, as well as a toasty, nutty, smoky, stony depth. There was a separate “Alte Reben” bottling, but unfortunately, by the time I showed up at the winery, there was not even a bottle to be had for tasting. 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