Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese 2009

The Haags’ 2009 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese A.P. #14 – an auction lot of only around 450 bottles, displaying the number 14 singled out on the front of the label (whereas the “12” of the corresponding “regular” bottling only appears in tiny print as part of the A.P.#) – comes from higher must weight and later harvest, but still of botrytis-free grapes. Orange, pineapple, pink grapefruit, peach, and Persian melon combined for an irresistibly succulent, juicy display with any mineral elements sublimated in the service of unalloyed fruit presence on a polished, strikingly creamily-textured palate. There is a sense of lift and purity here – yet with an impression of layered fruit – that easily supersedes the wines that preceded it in this year’s collection. And while each of the three Fritz Haag Spatlesen of this vintage has been progressively higher in residual sugar, the level here is perfect for projecting the wine’s fruitful personality. I would expect a quarter century or more of glory. Oliver Haag picked from just before mid-October until November 10, and the resulting collection is most notable for stunning quality in its nobly sweet echelons, although the volume of each bottling is small (typically the equivalent of 200-300 full bottles) due to paucity of botrytis.

By David Schildknecht December 2010