Weingut Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese, Mosel, Germany

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Kerpen’s 2010 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese constitutes, in his words “the negative Auslese from this year’s T.B.A.,” and I fear there are some musky and dank negatives to its aromas, as well as a prickle of radish and lemon rind that practically crawls right up your nose. Beyond those features lie intriguing scents and flavors suggesting faintly volatile distilled purple plum as well as toasted pine nuts drizzled with browned butter honey and molasses. Confectionary in its sweetness yet simultaneously lemony-tart, this viscous, curious B.A. is undeniably concentrated and persistent, and will certainly be worth revisiting in a few years, but I would rather someone else made the cellaring investment! 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

Picked out over most of his parcels and the duration of the harvest, Kerpen’s 2009 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese offers pungent aromas and palate impingement of smoky black tea; candied orange and tangerine rind; sweat; and alkaline minerality. There is an almost metallic edge here, but at the same time suggestions of white raisin –along with an emerging hint of mushroom – point to a botrytis element that might in time reveal a gentler or more unctuous side. There is without doubt complexity and intrigue here, but no harmony, and the vivacity and invigoration are edgy. I’d want to revisit this in a year or two – it may even have improved short-term – and certainly in terms of sheer concentration and raw energy this high-acid B.A. appears capable of thriving for three decades. 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