Assembled from the Laychen and Burgerslay sections, and picked both in the middle and at the end of his harvest, Markus Haag's 2010 Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Auslese represents his sole Auslese of the vintage from its Einzellage. A luscious impression of white peach sorbet laced with ginger, lime zest, and honey comes off as at once quite sweet and tart, but finishes with persistently invigorating tingle. This ought to remain lovely for at least 15 years and quite possibly considerably longer. (-2027) Markus and Inge Haag performed calcium carbonate de-acidification, at times in must, at times in wine, along with promoting malo-lactic transformation of some of their dry and off-dry cuvees. Results were decidedly mixed here this year. For practical purposes, Haags are gradually training all of their vines onto wires, but Markus admits, those that remain on traditional single posts could all be picked later this year, which was by no means a disadvantage.Numerous importers, including Atlanta Improvement Co.; tel. (404) 876 4500, Imperial Beverage, Kalamazoo, MI; tel. (269) 382 4200, Import A-N-T Wines, Venice, FL; tel. (941) 493 3000, Winebow Inc., Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620

Markus Haag’s 2009 Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Auslese – from the Laychen, an especially stony site he says is favored in really ripe vintages – smells of white peach and nut oils, which migrate to a delicate, satiny, judiciously sweet palate threaded with salt and crushed stone. While less exuberant than most of the wines in the present collection, this is more nuanced and offers haunting, both soothing and subtly refreshing length. Look for at least 15 years of satisfaction from this and quite possibly longer. According to Inge Haag, the impact of sporadic October rain was greater in Brauneberg than in most other Mosel villages, and losses to perosopera and negative botrytis led to an unusually small crop (reflected inter alia in the relative absence of wines that require reference to their A.P.#s to disambiguate!) and a relatively early conclusion to the harvest in the final days of October. Must weights, notes Markus Haag, were in an unusually narrow band this year, the choice of which lots to declare as being of which Pradikat falling almost entirely on the basis of style. Fruit from the Burgerslay vineyard so often responsible for the most distinctively delicious wines at this address was in 2009 spread around rather than being dedicated to a single bottling.Numerous importers, including Atlanta Improvement Co.; tel. (404) 876 4500, Imperial Beverage, Kalamazoo, MI; tel. (269) 382 4200, Import A-N-T Wines, Venice, FL; tel. (941) 493 3000, Winebow Inc., Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620

This year there is also only one Willi Haag wine with the name 2006 Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Auslese, athough for the record this carries the A.P. #6. It mingles white peach, vanilla, honey, and nut oils in a wine of uncanny refinement, delicacy and palate-saturating richness, representing a classic example of the magic in the Burgerslay section of the Juffer, whence Marcus’s father drew some of the greatest (if too-little appreciated) Middle Mosel wines of the ‘70s, ‘80s and early ‘90s. Juicy melon and white peach and kinetic citrus are beautifully folded into a creamy, vanilla-tinged envelope, then burst forth in a lusciously long finish with a distinct note of slate stone. It’s impossible not to compare this Auslese with the great 1975, and I believe it to be the masterpiece of Marcus Haag’s career thus far. If you are lucky enough to latch on to bottles of this incredible value – and I have seen them floating around at prices far lower than the already low suggested retail price noted above – treasure them and if possible wait 8-10 years before opening. There exist more than enough wonderful 2006 Mosel Auslesen you can enjoy younger. This one may well be worth following for 30 or more years. Marcus Haag – whose wines often number among the best values in the Mosel – has followed up his unprecedented success in the 2005 vintage with a collection of 2006s again surpassing any of his career.Importer: Billington Imports, Springfield, VA; tel. (703) 455-4700