Prinz Hallgartener Jungfer Riesling Auslese, Rheingau, Germany

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Picked out over a range of parcels in conjunction with the harvest of this years Grosses Gewachs, Prinzs 2009 Hallgartener Jungfer Riesling Auslese offers a penetrating, nose-tweaking intensity of candied lemon rind, peach preserves, pungently smoky black tea and brown spices. Admirably delicate, with its confitured and confectionary aspects reinforced by prominent sweetness, this picks up flavors of watermelon and white raisin en route to an overtly sweet finish that is satisfyingly buoyant and persistent, even if not particularly gripping, bright, vivacious, or profound. I would tentatively plan on drinking this over the next 10-15 years, though perhaps along the way it will reveal a potential for greater stamina. Fred Prinz is part of a dozen-man group that is set to share newly-propagated material from the ancient Mosel vines in Bruno-Schmitt and Karl-Josef Loewens portion of the Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg, a project reminiscent of practice in the aftermath of phylloxera, when many Rhine estates acquire old vine material from the Mosel. The results should be interesting to follow, possibly revealing special synergies in the context of Hallgartens high, breezy, and in part slatey slopes. Interestingly, Prinz finished picking already on October 21, even though his sites are as a rule relatively resistant to botrytis. “Im for late harvest in principle to gain the depth of aromatics, but this year the must weights were already so high,” he explains, “and I didnt want dry wines of 14% alcohol. I was also concerned,” he adds, “that the acid levels might slip as time went by, although in the end, the latest-harvested grapes were actually higher an acidity.” (And the base line here was already elevated.) While still (after two decades) based in residential Hallgarten – relying on a small room in the basement of his home for tastings – Prinz recently acquired some additional acreage so that even his highest-volume generic Riesling trocken once again originates with estate fruit. Imported by Dee Vine Wines, San Francisco, CA tel. (877) 389-9463; also imported by Magellan Wines, Centennial, CO tel. 720-272-6544