Saarburger Rausch, Riesling, Auslese, Goldkapsel, 2017
A wonderful Goldcap, the result of an almost single berry selection, with high ripe juicy levels of acidity and a mouth coating concentration and density from huge levels of dry extract. Ripe pears, dried fig, chamomile, pineapple, pollen and sweet grapes all coalesce in this hugely long but impeccably balanced Goldcap. What a knockout.
critic reviews
“We had numerous small lots of very concentrated material,” related Hanno Zilliken, “and suddenly we found ourselves with an aggregate of more than a thousand liters – to be exact, 1,160 – which is no auction wine [in volume]!” The resulting cuvée boasts 55 grams of sugar-free dry extract – a level usually only encountered in certain TBAs. Dried apricot, quince preserves, lemon peel and ominous smokiness on the pungently penetrating nose translate into a severe sense of concentration and piquancy on the palate. The electrically charged, take-no-prisoners finish introduces a rush of juicy lemon into the smoke-tinged, desiccated and jellied fruit mix. I was tempted to exclaim, “Drink this before it drinks you!” But, of course, one should probably take the opposite approach: Don’t give this wine a second thought over the next decade, let alone approach it with a corkscrew. And how productive its tension and energy ultimately prove to be, let alone whether it will ever “play nice,” is impossible to say.
Picked at roughly 130 Oechsle, the 2017 Saarburg Rausch Riesling Auslese (Gold Capsule), AP #2, is very clear, fresh and intense in its tropical fruit and lovely slate aromas. There are concentrated grapefruit flavors here as well. On the palate, this is a pure yet concentrated, very elegant, piquant and finessed Auslese with super attractive pineapple flavors in the long, aromatic and beautifully straight finish. Great structure and impressive freshness (11 or 12 grams per liter of total acidity), this is a great, alive-and-kicking Riesling. Bottled and tasted in March 2018.