2017 Herzog Rieslaner Beerenauslese 1.L.Müller-Catoir 37,5cl

I love the mango creme-brulee character of this stunning dessert wine that doesn't fit in any of the conventional pigeon holes. Mind-boggling length and concentration at the finish, but still so vibrant that you might want to run for cover! From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

The 2018 Riesling Herrenletten "VDP. Erste Lage" is clear, deep, pure and fresh on the stony/herbal, rather coolish but intense and even flinty nose of wet stone. Lush and piquant on the palate, this is an elegant and refined, salty Riesling with elegant power, stimulating salinity and good grip. Tasted in Haardt, December 2019.

Honey, quince jelly, glazed pineapple and smoky black tea dominate the proceedings. That smokiness - along with tang of pineapple core and piquancy of lemon peel - pushes back against an almost unbelievable 232 grams of residual sugar. (Granted, there are also 9.7 grams of acidity - impressive except by the standards of this grape. One can only imagine the eventual analytical excesses of two Trockenbeerenauslesen that were still fermenting as of my mid-November 2018 visit.) Saliva-liberating salinity, when combined with the wine's extreme ripeness, makes for a salted caramel impression that is improbably complemented by the wine's luscious citric elements, leading to a finish that represents a real Rieslaner tour de force.