Toni Jost Bacharacher Hahn Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule

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The 2007 Bacharacher Hahn Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule (for the record, A.P.#8) sidesteps the frequent dilemma of recognizing a “gold capsule” wine by displaying those two words right on its label. (If this wine were going to be sold inside Germany, that would present a legal problem, but as the often profound sweet Rieslings of the Jost Hahnenhof are virtually all sold abroad, and since a “front label” can become a “back label” simply by calling itself that, the Josts say: “no problem!”) Candied tangerine rind, grilled pineapple, and peach jam fill the nose and saturate a palpably extract-rich, yet for Auslese surprisingly firm, almost spare palate. This represents a throwback to Auslese as it was conceived through the early 1990s, before residual sugar inflation or creep became entrenched. “I didn’t want to stop the fermentation too soon,” comments Peter Jost, “and the sense of sweetness is almost the same as that of the Spatlese, but there is more extract” and of course more residual sugar and (10%) alcohol. With its bright citrus, intimation of things mineral, and handsome sense of leanness this is profoundly distinctive Auslese, though surely referring to it as “gold capsule” will invite confusion, given how much sweeter and lusher is today’s typical regular Auslese. I would anticipate at least a quarter century of fascination for any bottles set aside in the cellar. The 2007 vintage was immensely satisfying for the Josts, combining as it did high must weights (but less so than in most recent vintages); ripe acid-retention; ample precipitation (for a flagship site so notoriously dry that it is among the very few in Germany to have been approved decades ago for drip lines); perfect botrytis; and a bumper crop (after several straight years of penury). All of that noted, I was still marginally disappointed by this year’s dry wines. I cannot help but wonder whether the Hahn simply promotes too much sugar in its Riesling grapes for ideal balance at legal Trockenheit. Peter Jost continues to follow a distinctive approach to nobly sweet success – honed only over the past several years – of rigorously removing and discarding in September any botrytis that might not later at harvest be distinguishable from fresh botrytis, and of favoring lower residual sugar and correspondingly higher alcohol in the finished wines than is nowadays fashionable.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

The more obviously botrytized 2006 Bacharacher Hahn Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule evinces an ethereal corsage of gardenia with candied grapefruit and honey. A hint of caramel creeps into the opulent, creamy, malted, honeyed palate and like its “regular Auslese” counterpart, this displays seamlessness and the purity which Peter Jost says was his primary aim this vintage. But it misses quite the refreshment, elegance, and hint of minerality displayed by that ostensibly lesser wine. Set it aside for 8-10 years and then plan on an equal “window” of prime enjoyment. The normally dry and always steep and well-ventilated Hahn certainly enjoyed advantages in a rain-plagued vintage like 2006.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300