Weingut Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese, Mosel, Germany

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High-toned evocations of pear, plum, and caraway seed (Kummel) distillates on the nose of Kerpen’s 2010 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese migrate to a viscous, honeyed palate accompanied by blazingly tart lemon. The impression for now is decidedly bifurcated, although sheer concentration and length this certainly has in spades ... and without the drawbacks (if perhaps also without quite the aberrant fascination) of the corresponding B.A. I imagine it is almost bound to live for decades, and perhaps if one tastes again in a few years it will be possible to get a better sense of what it might become. Martin Kerpen practiced must-de-acidification on most of his 2010s, and some additional acid-adjustment to certain wines as well, especially (but by no means exclusively) those that fell into the trocken sector. “People went on about the eventual advantageous effects of tartrate precipitation,” says Kerpen, “but I don’t think they took into account just how unusually little tartaric acid there was this year. I had a T.B.A. analyzed that had 16 grams of total acidity and it turned out to have only 3 grams of tartaric!” His example may be extreme, but it reminds one of the general rule that seems to hold in 2010 by which the more botrytized the fruit the higher the acidity stubbornly remained; and it’s possible that the background levels of botrytis in Kerpen’s 2010 grapes as a whole – a background impossible to avoid noticing as one tastes through this collection – also made for relatively high ratios of malic to tartaric acid even by vintage standards. Kerpen suspected that location played a role, and that growers in Urzig had not only lower total acidities but lower ratios of malic than those in Wehlen and Graach. I had to disabuse him of that belief based from my experience! He insists that his latest wines all need time to show their true worth; but I would caution that while there is much that’s fascinating and delicious in this collection, there is even a bit more of a question mark hanging over the future evolution of certain of these wines than over that of typical 2010s from top-notch growers. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Selected-out in the press house from the fruit that was picked for the corresponding Beerenauslese, Kerpen’s 2009 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese displays far nobler mysteries, beginning with bread-like, truffly, and ethereally honeyed aromas over a deep, pure pool of quince and apricot preserves; apple jelly; and vanilla cream. At just over 6% alcohol, this barely-wine displays seductive creaminess allied to near weightlessness and refreshment that suggests lemon chiffon glazed with quince and apricot preserves. While at 11 grams it’s marginally higher in acidity than the corresponding B.A., here that’s sublimated and harnessed to a focused, lusciously long finish. This should outlive most of those old enough to legally purchase a bottle today, but if you get a chance and can afford to, don’t hesitate, because I am sure it will be glorious at nearly every stage of its bottle evolution, and might well become yet more complex. Martin Kerpen’s 2009 collection Rieslings possess uncommon brightness for their vintage, and he continues to excel across a blessedly broad stylistic range, from legally trocken through nobly sweet – and, more importantly, with plenty of successful stops in-between. It’s worth noting that Kerpen is especially keen on the quality of his nobly sweet 2009s – wines that are certainly close to off-the-charts on paper – although as readers can see, my praise for them is more selective. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Ethereal apple essence, sweet floral perfume, musk, white truffle, and pure, honeyed essence of botrytis secretions inform the nose of Kerpen’s 2006 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese. A saline mineral sense helps alleviate the wine’s sweetness. Viscous and expansive, it nevertheless offers lift to the point of near levitation. And the long, honeyed, subtly spicy finish here manages to truly refresh, for all of the wine’s extreme richness and sheer thickness. This has superb 30+ year potential. While Martin Kerpen’s extensive array of dry Rieslings from 2007 is not on quite the superlative order of their immediate predecessors, his residually sweet wines are again highly successful. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel (516) 677-9300

Intensely ester-rich distilled fruit, and pungent botrytis aromas eminate from Kerpen’s 2006 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese. Apricot preserves, apple jelly, brown spices, lemon, and caramel inform a viscous, as yet somewhat superficially sweet palate – but then, this is a 40-50 year wine. No question here though that there is already youthful clarity and refinement, and the sheer intensity is so striking it caused me to swallow hard even as I imagined I was going to spit! Lock this polished – but as yet largely uncut – gem away for at least 15 years. Then revisit. Martin Kerpen and his vines had a hard act to follow after their successes in 2005 but were more than up to the task, confirming the hypothesis that these always excellent wines have crossed a new quality threshold. Still, the last place I would have imagined 2006s keeping pace was in the range of trocken. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

The 2005 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese (around a hundred liters of it in all) was selected over many days’ pickings and then further selected, berry by berry, in the cellar. The high-toned aroma here represents a smelling-salt like concentration of pit fruit preserves, citrus, honey, spices, and mineral. Astonishingly viscous, creamy, and oily-rich on the palate, this strikingly greenish-gold elixir resembles quince preserves and lemon meringue in texture as well as its embryonic flavors. Vanilla, citrus zest, and brown spice accents add to the intensity of the wine and begin to add complexity in its finish. One can’t really speak of “refinement” here nor yet of the wine’s ultimate balance. This wild thing has to be cellared for at least two decades and can probably never be tamed, but even a few post-fermentative months of rest will, I predict, offer it an opportunity to display the seeds of future complexity. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300