Dr. Crusius Traiser Rotenfels Riesling Spatlese, Nahe, Germany

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While a Traiser Riesling XIII (its Roman numeral, following a rather odd Crusius convention, designating grams of residual sugar in his off-dry wines) seemed somewhat blurred by a lactic component; a juicy, apply Traiser Rotenfels Riesling Kabinett proved soft and simple; and a Riesling XX sold in liter bottles downright limp, the unabashedly sweet Crusius 2010 Traiser Rotenfels Riesling Spatlese more than satisfactorily delivers abundant, succulent fruit, Scheurebe-like in its effusive projection of grapefruit, peach, tangerine and sage. Nips of brown spices and an aura of honey from nose to tail suggest an ennobling but subtle brush with botrytis that has not robbed the wine of downright infectious finishing juiciness. Indeed, in its brightness this bottling struck me as possibly signaling a turning point in the present collection toward unadjusted or unnoticeably-adjusted acidity; but with the exception of one Auslese and of the collection's two Eisweins, higher-Oechsle bottlings - whether from sheer sweetness or diminished acidity - proved not to approach this Spatlese's vivacity or energy. Still, I doubt that this would hold up well and long enough in bottle for one to anticipate any significant diminution of its sheer sweetness, and going on that assumption, I would advise relishing its generosity within the next 3-5 years. As usual, Peter Crusius- collection - which, in his absence, I tasted with his wife Birgitta - offers a lot to like even if it is far from consistently successful and incorporates at its high residual sugar sector some wines that I find overridingly sweet and lacking the sort of distinction that justifies selective botrytis harvest. Also typical for this estate is a welcoming attitude toward malo-lactic transformation of its dry wines, which thus became a means - coupled with outright adjustment - of dealing with 2010s high acids.Importer: Chambers & Chambers, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 642 5500