Kiwi, lime, pink grapefruit, and honeysuckle alluringly scent the Fritz Haag 2010 Braunebeger Juffer Riesling Auslese and lusciously caress the palate, where a subtly creamy texture is allied to scintillating refreshment. Invigorating and saliva-inducing notes of fresh ginger, citrus zests, and salt emerge to help offset the sweetness, and there is a remarkable sense of lift to complement the wine’s wafting florality and the sustained sense of sheer fruit juiciness that is incorporated into the long, eloquently interactive, lip-licking finish of this cunningly ennobled Riesling. Expect this to delight for 2-3 decades. “You had to wait to pick,” comments Oliver Haag picked, “but not too late. Because after the end of October we had more rain, and by then the stems weren’t just ripe but just about shot (fertig), so that the grapes were literally hanging by a thin thread.” Different degrees of double-salt de-acidification were essayed (always on must), frequently only on certain lots of an eventual blend; but of the unabashedly residually sweet bottlings, Haag insists that only the Kabinett reflected a significant degree of de-acidification. Haag in my view quite correctly characterizes his generic bottlings as most illustrative of the vintage’s challenges and his selectively-picked residually sweet wines as being above-average ... “average” at this address, of course, having over the past several decades designated a very high quality indeed. “There were a lot of tough decisions to be made this year,” he relates. “Should we harvest this parcel or that? Pick now or later?” I share Haag’s opinion that as a group these wines will need longer than usual in bottle to really show their stuff. Importer: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. ( 800) 596-9463

Redolent of apricot cream, pear tart and peach cobbler, this pillowy auslese is rich and accented by well-defined tropical fruit notes. A lattice work of vibrant acidity is flanked by plenty of mineral and spice notes. Pure and refreshing. Drink now through 2040. 70 cases made.??–KM??Region: Germany / Mosel Select to Add