Weingut Emrich-Schonleber Monzinger Fruhlingsplatzchen Riesling Spatlese, Nahe, Germany

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The buoyant and refreshing, chiffon-like impression engendered by the corresponding Kabinett persists in Emrich-Schonleber’s 2010 Monzinger Fruhlingsplatzchen Riesling Spatlese, which mingles white peach, red raspberry, lime, and honeydew melon garlanded with honeysuckle and lily-of-the-valley. Ravishingly sustained, with saliva-inducing salinity, faint alkalinity, and wet stone underpinnings, this superbly balanced performance should excite for the next couple of decades if not longer. The fruit for this Spatlese was picked well ahead of that for this year’s Grosse Gewachse, and was reported to have incorporated “at most 10% botrytis.” At 9.5% alcohol, incidentally, this wine’s residual sugar is quite restrained. ”Look, the acid levels were almost this high in 1994 – though with much higher yields,” relates Werner Schonleber of 2010, “and yet 1994 was probably my most individual year of the 1990s,” a judgment in which, incidentally, I concur. Musts of extremely high acidity (a couple had pHs under 3.0) were de-acidified – “very cautiously,” notes Frank Schonleber, “l(fā)eaving plenty of leeway in case one or the other went into malo,” which several Riesling lots spontaneously followed the lead of the estate’s Pinots in doing. Despite high levels of potassium (not to mention, of course, tartaric acid) and a cold winter, there was relatively little precipitation of tartrates at this address. Early picking of the Schonlebers’ Auf der Lay parcel, already with significant botrytis, militated against there being an “A.de.L” bottling this year such as had been essayed – exclusively in magnum – in the two preceding vintages. This is really a year, chez Schonlebers, for Fruhlingsplatzchen as a site to shine, though neither they nor I can offer a hypothesis. Regarding the gap or jump in this year’s line-up from “regular” (though in fact, fantastic) Auslesen to Eiswein, Werner Schonleber commented that given the quality and the paucity of fruit available, “Attempts to segregate a gold capsule Auslese were going to make for (“regular”)Auslese in which something was missing. And we scarcely thought ourselves capable of a Beerenauslese this vintage; the attempt wouldn’t have gone well. We had lovely botrytis, but by no means such concentrated berries.”Imported by Sussex Wine Merchants, Moorestown, NJ; tel. (856) 608 9644; also imported by Dee Vine Wines, San Francisco, CA tel. (877) 389- 9463

The Schonleber 2009 Monzinger Fruhlingsplatzchen Riesling Spatlese fascinatingly mingles luscious citrus, salted caramel, nut paste, white peach, Persian melon, subtly tart red raspberry, and diverse mineral nuances. Musk, goose fat, and vaguely pheromonic notes add animal intrigue. Even at 70 grams of residual sugar, the sweetness is supportive rather than obtrusive, and one consequence is a mere 9% alcohol and concomitant sense of levity. Creamy in texture, yet packed with pure, juicy refreshment, this finishes with alluring length and a compulsive urge to take the next sip and the next. Frank Schonleber opines that the tension and nuances in this wine were slow to emerge in its elevage and also will be from the bottle. Certainly we can look forward to at least two decades of kaleidoscopically interactive, thought-provoking delight. Werner and Frank Schonleber harvested through nearly the entire month of October, and noted that levels of sugar and total acidity remained fairly constant, while flavors kept improving and malic acid diminishing in favor of tartaric. Speaking of improving, it’s hard for these two vintners to much-improve their by now phenomenal batting average, but no Riesling lover is likely to suffer the least disappointment by buying bottles of Emrich-Schonleber 2009s. Especially at its dry end, this is a collection to describe which seems to call for an extended mineral vocabulary that doesn’t even exist in English or German! And in nobly sweet echelons, the small amount of Riesling the Schonlebers rendered is strikingly successful and informed by an ample if mysterious measure of sheer juiciness. About the absence of Eiswein, Frank Schonleber notes: “We had the feeling that ripeness had simply advanced too far in 2009 to justify leaving any grapes hanging in anticipation of frost.”Imported by Sussex Wine Merchants, Moorestown, NJ; tel. (856) 608 9644; also imported by Dee Vine Wines, San Francisco, CA tel. (877) 389- 9463