The bright reddish-copper colored Gunderloch 2008 Nackenheimer Rothenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese was selected-out after its January 31 harvest from the corresponding B.A. Buttery-rich in texture, it displays – amid peach, orange liqueur, and quince preserves – a fresh streak of citricity that was absent from that B.A. and which helps counteract its extreme sweetness. Dusty and smoky pungency, an aura of white raisin, as well as high-toned, volatile-rich esters put botrytis front and center, yet – along with emerging salted caramel, nougat, and candied orange rind – contribute complexity while helping to alleviate and integrate high residual sugar. This extremely long, extremely fascinating, and just flat-out extreme elixir should merit following for at least three decades, but fewer than 240 half bottles are available for that purpose. Fritz and Agnes Hasselbach – who now have a new cellarmaster, Rhinehessian Joachim Janss – reported must weights from 2009 on average lower than in most recent vintages, which helps account for their reduced crop of Grosse Gewachse, Spatlese, and Auslese. “The foliage remained green” reports Fritz Hasselbach due to a lighter October frost than in many other Riesling-growing sectors, “but despite that, the must weights plateaued after the middle of that month – for the most part at around 90 Oechsle – and just didn’t go any higher.” Although there are now drip lines in these vineyards, the Hasselbachs report not having had to utilize them in 2009 as enough moisture was stored-up from the rains of early summer to keep their vines from suffering in any way under the onslaught of dry heat that came later on. Unfortunately, what has here become the usual round of picking in December, January, or even February of botrytis elixirs was not to take place from vintage 2009, since – presumably driven by last winter’s combination of deep snow and extreme cold – birds and other animals somehow successfully breached the nets in which the Hasselbach’s vines were shrouded and made short work of nearly all their remaining grapes. I am thus able already to report on the entire 2009 collection from this address, as well as on the pair of nobly sweet wines of 2008 that were harvested at the end of January, wines that inhabit their own world rather than reflecting vintage character, and which had not yet finished fermenting when I visited to taste in September, 2009 for my issue 187 report. Imported: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. 800 596 9463