The Willi Haag 2009 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese A.P. # 8 is exotically and decadently scented with mango, soursop, over-ripe pear, and fading lily. Fusil and wet stone hints add interesting counterpoint in the nose, but are unnoticeable on the palate. Creamy in texture and confectionary in sweetness and personality, this adds a hint of caramel to its already almost over-the-top finish. In the second year that these vines have been trained to wire (rather than in old-fashion Mosel style to single posts) and Haag reports that the unusually high incidence of noble rot in the parcel may be related to that fact. Like a number of the relatively soft, quite sweet wines in the present collection, one has to award points here for sheer persistence, even if it will appeal most to those with a genuine sweet tooth. I would plan to enjoy it over the next 12-15 years. 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

Haag’s 2005 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese A. P. #7 follows a by now familiar theme among his Auslesen this year. Its aromas are of Golden Delicious apple and honey, its palate rich, creamy, but soft and displaying an abundance of youthful sugar in search of an outlet for its energy. Where this wine differs from its siblings is in its degree of elegance and lightness of touch. While it finishes with only modest fresh fruit juiciness or vigor, there is enough to complement the richness, polish, and attractively mouth-filling ripe, ennobled fruit that is this wine’s principal theme – nor is a hint of wet stone slate character entirely missing. Also recommended: 2005 Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett trocken ($ unknown; 85), 2005 Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett feinherb ($ unknown; 85), 2005 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese A. P. #8 ($ unknown; 86). Importer: Billington Imports, Springfield, VA; tel. (703) 455-4700