Its aromatic display a bit blocked by yeasty fermentative residues, the Selbach-Oster 2011 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese largely opens-up to reveal scents and flavors of apple and quince jellies allied to lemon candy whose tart, juicy aspect is already surprisingly well-integrated (in contrast with the detached expression of fresh citrus observed in the corresponding Schlossberg). Sappy and brown-spice tinged, this wine’s luscious mid-palate performance – its confitured fruits mingling with their fresh counterparts as well as with site-typical vanilla cream – leads to a finish of invigoration and vibrancy rare enough among Auslesen, but especially those of this vintage. Just wait until this sheds its fermentative afterbirth and really hits its stride! We should be looking at a three-decade keeper. Selbach agrees with me that he has seldom witnessed such a difference in personality (and seemingly quality) between two of his Auslesen as in this wine and its Schlossberg counterpart, and that there ought to have been at least one star appended to the Pradikat of this one to highlight its distinction.
Picking for Riesling began chez Selbach in the first days of October and finished already on the 26th. “We harvested consistent with a principle on which I put ever-greater emphasis: to pick ripe, but not overripe,” remarks Johannes Selbach. “The luxury we had is that not only did the weather remain stable, but we did not have to deal with volatile acids or acetification” of grapes on the vine. Fruit was typically crushed for the dry wines, but not permitted skin contact, although Selbach emphasizes that his usual practice of encouraging relatively long stays on the fine lees for every style of Riesling he crafts was critical to donating structure, complexity, and a sense of stuffing to these products of a relatively low-acid, high-yielding vintage. Two T.B.A.s and a B.A. were still fermenting as of last autumn and will have to be assessed in connection with my vintage 2012 report.
Importers: There are a few regional importers of certain Selbach wines, but the majority (and those whose prices are noted above) are Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300
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