2016 Scharzhofberger Eiswein

This amalgam of November 30th and December 5th pickings is at once confectionary in its evocation of candied lemon peel, glazed apricot, quince preserves and vanilla as well as electrically bright thanks to fresh lemon juice and prickly pineapple core. An almost ominously smoky cast on the nose persists on the palate, but there is no volatility, and the wine’s high acids are ultimately well-buffered by glycerol richness and sheer palate density. No taster will be left in any doubt that this embryonically backward elixir is of the frozen Riesling genre. It finishes with phenomenal persistence, albeit not the interactive complexity or the savory, mineral and floral dimensions of which Riesling from this great site is so memorably capable, but which may well emerge with time in bottle. (This wine was not offered at auction, but instead as part of the estate’s non-auction offerings to private customers and the trade.)

A relatively light ice wine for this producer, but very clean and pure (which isn't always the case for this category). Great exotic fruit aromas including a whiff of durian. This also has a rather elegant interplay of sweetness and acidity without the sharp edges ice wine often has in its youth. Delicious now, and it probably will show its best during the next five years, even if it will keep for many more years. Jun 2017, www.jamessuckling.com

The 2016 Scharzhofberger Eiswein (AP #7) is beautifully clear and piquant, showing superbly precise and concentrated fruit (pineapple) aromas. Lush, round and piquant on the palate, with precise and fine fruit and gorgeous salinity, this is a terribly long and complex Scharzhofeberger with a mineral and piquant finish that mimics lime and grapefruit flavors and breaking slate stones. In short, this is a picture-book Eiswein, the first since 2012, and it was marketed without auction. Tasted March 2018.