Kiedrich Grafenberg, Riesling, Eiswein, 2016

Harvested on January 7, this displays an Eiswein-typical aromatic aura of sugar-glazed, candied fruits mingled with high-toned fruit distillates. On the custardy-rich yet buoyant palate, though, the impression is of a pineapple-studded, quince jelly-slathered lemon meringue, generating a productive tension of bright citricity with confitured and candied fruits. The finish is formidably penetrating and persistent, clean, clear and vibrant, with lemon, pineapple and candied white currant to the fore. It’s amazing that there is such purity and focused brightness on display from fruit that hung out, exposed to the elements, for so long. This will certainly be exciting to follow, and may well prove exceedingly long-lived; though the inherently capricious behavior of Eiswein should always serve as something of a warning (which is also what I intend with my intentionally conservative quantitative “drink by” estimate).(Release price referenced here is for 375 ml.)

DRINKING WINDOW 2018 - 2050

date of review 07/2018