Picked the next-to-last day of harvest, right from the vine from a parcel above the sundial – the 2006 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule was destined for auction, and is also the only Willi Haag gold capsule Auslese of this vintage. Peach, mango and maracuja inform an exotically ripe nose and an opulently rich palate. There is admirable purity here, and some sense of the fresh fruit juiciness that helped render the Sonnenuhr Aulese so striking remains here, too. But at the moment, although its sheer length and richness are prodigious, this is somewhat covered by youthful sweetness. Inge Haag says this reminds her of a 1953 her father made from another of those rare vintages when wine of Beerenauslese must weight could be harvested en bloc. In an irony worthy of the vintage, the only instance where one requires an A.P.# in order to disambiguate two otherwise identically-labeled Willi Haag wines, is when it comes to the Beerenauslesen! Marcus Haag – whose wines often number among the best values in the Mosel – has followed up his unprecedented success in the 2005 vintage with a collection of 2006s again surpassing any of his career.Importer: Billington Imports, Springfield, VA; tel. (703) 455-4700