The Fritz Haag 2006 Braunebeger Juffer Riesling Auslese delivers a very fresh ripe nectarine fruit, creaminess, nut oil richness, and distinct slate. Its amazing vivacity, vivid juiciness, and only moderate sense of sweetness trace back at least in part no doubt to its very high acidity. But this also demonstrates that uncanny lightness-despite-concentration that is at the heart of so many of the best 2006s. This luscious, pure, levitating Auslese is like the extension of the Kabinett. Furthermore, it represents another exceptional value from the under-rated (even by its owners!) Juffer. It should be worth following for 30-40 years, even though it is practically irresistible already. Oliver and Wilhelm Haag have fielded their third sensational collection in a row, but then, superlatives are hardly new to this address, there are simply more of them this year then ever before. Wilhelm Haag compares 2006 with 1953 – a fabled vintage he remembers helping to harvest as a teenager – for its “desiccated, incredibly healthy botrytis,” adding “I plan to drink these in my second life.” They started picking immediately after October 3, and when I asked Wilhelm Haag whether a particular bottling had been picked early, he laughed and replied “they were all picked early! When I saw the must weights that were coming in, I thought they were too high for Spatlese and even Auslese, and that the wines would be too broad, but I must say, today – even with the botrytis – they have a wonderfully elegant effect.” Importer: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. (800) 5960-9463