2012 Welschriesling TBA No. 7 Zwischen den Seen Kracher 37,5cl

The 2012 Trockenbeerenauslese No. 7 Welschriesling Zwischen den Seen is a perfect botrytis wine offering an intense and concentrated, spicy bouquet with ripe quince, peach and apricot as well as peppery and honey aromas. Full-bodied, highly concentrated and lush on the palate, this is a stunningly finessed, refreshing and savory TBA with grapefruit bitters on the saline finish that uplifts the sweetness and concentration and leads to an incomparably long finish. This is a living legend in the Kracher history and proves that TBAs can also improve dramatically over the years on the bottle. Tasted at the domaine in July 2022.

Deep golden yellow. Intriguing rich aromas of peach, orange peel, persimmon, hazelnut, dark rye bread and honeyed botrytis, all far beyond what you'll normally find in Welschriesling. Concentrated and deep but not at the cost of finesse or elegance, offering rich flavors of pear nectar, truffle and candied lemon, this 2012 Trockenbeerenauslese displays luscious sweetness perfectly balanced by vibrant acidity. Finishing with flint, nut oils and cinnamon, this No. 7 will make fans out of consumers who normally avoid this grape variety.

The musky notes of unfettered botrytis are on full display here, bringin candied apricot, bitter orange, burnt sugar and musky fruit into the mix. The luscious core of sweetness is concentrated and the acidic thrill lets the entire palate teeter on a delicious precipice. This sort of wine should require a license to kill in all its deadly, overwhelming force of concentration.

This is loaded with rich tropical fruit flavors of pineapple and dried mango, complemented by a deep well of ripe pear and glazed peach. The honeyed finish lingers, with butterscotch and crème brûlée accents. Drink now through 2045. 250 cases made. -KM.