Weingut Ratzenberger Bacharacher Wolfshohle Riesling Auslese, Mittelrhein, Germany

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The Ratzenberger 2008 Bacharacher Wolfshohle Riesling Auslese were picked out ahead of time by three people from all of their parcels in that site. Some fruit was botrytized, but more frequently the selection was of clusters with tiny, sometimes pip-less berries, including those of young vines. The result combines phenomenal penetration with lift and transparency to stony, saline mineral diversity almost as striking as that exhibited by the corresponding Spatlese. Kirsch and pistachio extract, quince, honey, flowers and citrus zest rise from the glass. Grapefruit, lemon, and white peach balance against honey, while green tea and bitter-sweet floral perfume inform a luscious, silken-textured, yet electric-charged palate, and the finish is almost literally jaw-dropping, as you’ll find yourself needing a napkin. In 30 years – if you expect to be drinking wine still and can score one of 180 bottles – you may need a hankie to dry your eyes when you uncork this treasure. When you taste a collection like this year’s from the two Jochen Ratzenbergers, you have to wonder why their wines’ consistent quality; track record for aging; and frequently stellar performances do not make this one of the most talked-about estates in Germany. (Maybe I shouldn’t wish that on us!) In fact, they are quite well-respected at home, but I think there is a certain snobbishness that rebounds against even the best Mittelrhein Riesling because this region’s precious half-timbered villages and crenellated slopes spell “tourist country” to most German wine lovers.Importer: Sussex Wine Merchants, Moorestown, NJ; tel. (856) 608-9644