BattenfeldSpanier - Zellerweg am Schwarzen Herrgott Riesling Auslese 2017

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

Vinous A. Galloni

About the wine:

Although the Spanier harvest at Mölsheim doesn't require much botrytis, there was a certain amount of rot, the nobility of which undoubtedly deserved to be highlighted. Aromas of almond and pistachio extract, quince jelly and white peach set the tone for a supple, creamy palate where lime and grapefruit add brightness and juice. Bitter stone notes balance with salivating salinity, on a sumptuous finish of impeccably balanced sweetness. (Sweetness meant an unusually high alcohol content - 9.5% - for a 21st-century Auslese. But, unsurprisingly, that didn't stop this wine from developing a delicious sense of lightness). Spanier makes sweet wines only sporadically and in very small volumes, but as this one demonstrates, he has mastered the art.