Saarburger Auf der Rausch, Riesling, Grosses Gewächs, 2023

Auf der Rausch is a “single plot” bottling that comes from the high right-hand corner of the Rausch hillside: an ungrafted sector that even a hundred years ago was recorded as being of exceptional quality. 2023 is only the second ever release of this wine, after 2018. The Zilliken thinking for this, their top dry wine, is that it must comprise exclusively fully ripe, healthy berries and have the concentration to support 18 months’ ageing in traditional Mosel fuder barrels – in this case just two of them. Fuller and creamier, with fresh lemon, chamomile and salts; the mouthfeel is super finessed and slatey with a powerful, ripe acidity. Long, caressing and impressive.