Kerpen Riesling Auslese Wehlener Sonnenuhr 2 star

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Kerpen’s 2011 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese two star betrays its botrytization in musky, prickly slightly sweaty overtones, allied to pear nectar, candied lemon, and marzipan on the nose as well as on an oil-slicked palate. A hint of white raisin adds to the ennobled impression en route to a dominantly sweet and spicy yet also faintly prickly, drying and bitter finish. This contrasts strikingly with the purity and delicate refinement of the corresponding “one-star,” and I suspect that its earthy and animal aspects will prevent this from ever – metaphorically speaking – reaching for the stars. (The corresponding “three-star” Auslese was being filtered after finally finishing fermentation when I visited last September, so that like three yet higher-must weight, later-fermenting Kerpen Rieslings of this vintage, I won’t taste it until later this year.) Martin Kerpen has been on an impressive roll of late, and his 2011 collection – whose four highest must-weight wines, granted, I couldn’t taste last year as they were so slow in fermenting – scores striking successes across a wide spectrum of residual sugar. (I also failed to taste at least one residually sweet Graacher that had evidently disappeared from Kerpen’s cellars last September and I could not subsequently track down.) While Kerpen has long been notably successful in rendering legally dry Riesling from his famous Wehlen and Graach sites, the extreme acidity of 2010 militated against harmony in this sector of his portfolio; whereas, from 2011 come some of his most impressive-ever results. Small wonder, then, that in this vintage Kerpen’s volume of trocken Riesling overtook that of non-trocken. As with many of the best Mosel collections from this vintage, the wines here are analytically low-acid yet one seldom feels a want of freshness or vivacity. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Overt extract density and almost sharply bright lemon and grapefruit in a 2010 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Two Star are accommodated on a silken-textured though not (in the manner of its immediate Auslese sibling) creamy palate. Papaya, banana and quince add lavishly to the appeal of this long-finishing and at once gaudy and vivacious Riesling that was selected out over a wine range of parcels in late October and the first days of November. I would anticipate 15-20 years of interest here but advise checking it within the next 6-8 years for any signs of its becoming downright decadent or kinky (whether or not those thoughts appeal to you). Martin Kerpen practiced must-de-acidification on most of his 2010s, and some additional acid-adjustment to certain wines as well, especially (but by no means exclusively) those that fell into the trocken sector. “People went on about the eventual advantageous effects of tartrate precipitation,” says Kerpen, “but I don’t think they took into account just how unusually little tartaric acid there was this year. I had a T.B.A. analyzed that had 16 grams of total acidity and it turned out to have only 3 grams of tartaric!” His example may be extreme, but it reminds one of the general rule that seems to hold in 2010 by which the more botrytized the fruit the higher the acidity stubbornly remained; and it’s possible that the background levels of botrytis in Kerpen’s 2010 grapes as a whole – a background impossible to avoid noticing as one tastes through this collection – also made for relatively high ratios of malic to tartaric acid even by vintage standards. Kerpen suspected that location played a role, and that growers in Urzig had not only lower total acidities but lower ratios of malic than those in Wehlen and Graach. I had to disabuse him of that belief based from my experience! He insists that his latest wines all need time to show their true worth; but I would caution that while there is much that’s fascinating and delicious in this collection, there is even a bit more of a question mark hanging over the future evolution of certain of these wines than over that of typical 2010s from top-notch growers. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

The “two star” 2006 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese is loaded with caramelized nectarine, vanilla cream, and mocha, with the same saline cast as its single-starred sibling, but now with the uncanny sense of lift and elegance that accrued to the “no-star” member of the family. Practically luminous in finish, this is irresistible today, and will be worth following for 20-25 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

Kerpen’s “two-star” 2005 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese** smells and tastes of apple jelly, vanilla, licorice candy, malt, and honey. Rich and creamy on the palate, yet clear and pure in fruit, it represents an ideal subtle concentration of botrytis. Candied and caramelized fruit character as well as overtly honeyed richness in the long finish do not at all preclude thirst-satisfying juiciness, lightness of touch, delicate counterpoint of botrytis, fruit and salty minerality, and sheer lift. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300