High acidity does not save the Schonborn 2009 Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Auslese – harvested from across the estates several parcels in this famed site – from an overall confectionary impression, but its impressive persistence of butterscotch, peach preserves, and candied lemon is leavened by some sense of sheer juicy succulence. Polished and subtly oily in texture, it finishes with fine if slightly sticky length. While not remotely as impressive as its 2008 counterpart, I could easily imagine this taking on further interest over a 20 or more year period. On the other hand, there is some danger lest a botrytis pungency that hints at burnt sugar might turn outright bitter.
The latest collection from Peter Barth and his team further demonstrates the high standards that now prevail at this venerable estate. “The window for optimal harvest seems to keep narrowing,” Barth notes, and the relatively high finished alcohol levels on this years dry Schonborn Rieslings certainly testifies to that fact, leaving the 2008s at this address with a distinct edge over their 2009 counterparts. Despite the ravages of hail in Hattenheim and Erbach – including the loss of nearly one-third of the estates anticipated crop of Marcobrunn – the number of different bottlings from that site and from the monopole Pfaffenberg is still considerable.
Various importers, including Dee Vine Wines San Francisco, CA; tel. (877) 389- 9463, Slocum & Sons, North Haven, CT; tel. 203-239-8000, Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700, Winesellers Ltd. Niles, IL; tel. (847) 647-1100
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