2018 Julian Haart, Wintricher Ohligsberg Riesling, Mosel

Vinous

Stone, smoke and moss figure vividly on the nose, accompanied by fascinatingly musky, floral, pungent suggestions of cubeb and Nepalese peppercorns. Along with these intriguing aromatic elements come white peach and lemon that translate into generous juiciness on a silken palate, where they are piquantly infused with green tea as well as with the aforementioned flowers and peppercorns. There is a sense of refinement and clarity here that goes beyond what one experiences from the corresponding Goldtröpfchen (which was harvested a day earlier, at 93 Oechsle), and Haart considers that refinement characteristic of this site, along with its achieving optimal ripeness at lower must weights (here 90 Oechsle) “even though the grapes from Goldtröpfchen are more beautiful and perfect-looking,” he added. Subtle effects of a few grams more residual sugar probably help explain why this Ohligsberg also exhibits admirable buoyancy as well as a succulence missing from the more aggressive and borderline-austere Goldtröpfchen. It finishes with startling brightness and a shimmering sense of interaction between myriad mineral and fruit elements, not to mention its mysteriously mossy undertone. I perceive my prognostication of age-worthiness as going out on a limb, but I’m pretty confident in my intuitions.