White currant, lemon, and grapefruit brightly scent the nose of the Breuer 2008 Rauenthaler Nonnenberg Riesling trocken and brashly, invigoratingly impinge on a firm, taut palate. Alluring, Rauenthal-typical suggestions of lilac and wisteria waft throughout, but with that exception, this is one of those Breuer Rieslings apparently out to make zero concessions to palate rest or relaxation, to say nothing of comfort. A whip-cracking snap of lemon and salt sets me to salivating uncontrollably in the finish, while underlying suggestions of wet stone and fruit pit underscore the wine’s overall sense of austerity. The Rauenthal Estate bottling – i.e. the second wine – is so much more charming as well as fascinating, at least for now. But this Nonnenberg will no doubt be worth following for 6-8 years.
At more than 9,000 man hours including the time spent on intensive selection, Heinrich Breuer says this was one of the most labor-intensive and expensive harvests in the estate’s history. “We have 80 parcels in Rudesheim and are very conscientious about checking each one every couple of days to make sure the acidity doesn’t drop too low, to check the must weights, and to deal with any issues that might arise. We were in fact happy to have gotten around a half a gram more acidity at harvest than in the 2007s,” continues Breuer, who says it was really the phenolics and not the quality of acids or levels of sugar that changed while they picked in the course of October. Reports have reached me of the extent to which the top 2008 vintage Rieslings here are said to have became more harmonious and complex in the course of last autumn, so I may well have underestimated them based on my September tastings. But I was already totally disarmed and amazed by the quality of the several best nobly sweet wines, coming as they do from an estate that treats that genre very much as an afterthought (or, more accurately, as a part of pre-harvest provided noble rot is already there) and from a vintage in which so few such wines were essayed nation-wide.
Importer: Classical Wines, Seattle WA; tel. (206) 547-0255
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