Picking to retain acidity; longer lees time; and handling so as to preserve enlivening CO2 are among the measures Philipp Wittmann took to insure that his 2009 Westhofener Aulerde Riesling Grosses Gewachs would retain a sense of levity but also richness. There is a metaphorically cool and restrained sense of herbal infusion here along with ample stocks of juicy honeydew melon; under-ripe winter pear; and lemon; and an underlying sense of minerality like a sheer block of chalk, all of which put me more than a little in mind of a Loire Sauvignon. A glossy texture partly testifies to this wine’s 13.5% alcohol, but it evinces neither heat nor roughness, and as Wittmann had hoped, projects a lingering, remarkably buoyant sense of elegance and refreshment. It should prove lovely to follow for at least the next 6-8 years. “The fruit was picture perfect,” says Philipp Wittmann of his 2009 crop in general, and he managed to capture ripe, complex flavors largely without the alcoholic interference or austerity that have sometimes led me to express reservations about the widely-lauded Rieslings of this articulate, conscientious young biodynamic practitioner. Wittmann characterized his harvest as having occupied “the last half of October, followed by a week of playing around (‘Spielerei’)” that focused on a few cooler sites. His approach was to see to it that the wines fermented quickly so as to avoid any bacteriological issues such as inadvertent malo-lactic transformation, but thereafter to give the young wines extended stays on their fine lees.Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700
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