Spanier’s 2011 Hohen-Sulzer Riesling trocken perpetuates the themes of clarity and juiciness I found exemplified by many of its immediate siblings; and its palpable density and 13% alcohol don’t preclude a welcome sense of lift. Green and smoky black tea together lend intriguing pungency to the nose as well as the satin-textured palate, where they suffuse a matrix of white peach and lemon that’s further accented with nut oils and piquant fruit pit. The sort of shimmering – seemingly somehow crystalline – sense of dynamic mineral display found in the corresponding generic bottling is here considerably enhanced. I would anticipate 3-5 years of satisfaction. Oliver Spanier (for an account of his methods and still internationally little-known sites, consult especially my issue 185 report) began picking on September 20, 2011 and didn’t finish until November 2 (in his Am Schwarzen Herrgott parcel), an indication of the micro-climatic, topographical and geological diversity among his sites in three communes. That it was necessary to cull botrytis this year is evidenced in an unprecedented set of brilliantly successful nobly sweet wines from this normally trocken-only estate. (Mea Culpa: Somehow, I let Spanier omit pouring me samples of this year’s Eisbach Riesling or his and Gillot’s 2010 CO Riesling – always late-released – without my realizing the omissions and asking that they be remedied.)Imported by Domaine Select Wine Estates, New York, NY; tel. (212) 279-0799
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