2018 Rausch Auslese LGK Auktion 04 19
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Tasting notes
The 500 liters of this sole “long gold capsule” Auslese in the Zilliken 2018 collection (bearing A.P. #4) were raised in tank and sold at auction. Dried quince and apricot, glazed pineapple and sultana dominate on nose as well as the palate, and there is a smoky, faintly prickly note suggesting spores of botrytis not evidenced in the wines that preceded this one in Zillikens’ lineup. For all of its viscosity and sheer sweetness, this elixir’s prodigious finish manages to avoid turning syrupy. That said, for now at least, it lacks the multiplicity, mouthwatering salinity or textural allure of the ostensibly lesser gold capsule Auslese. One can’t help wondering to what degree that might be on account of its having been raised in tank rather than cask. Owners would be wise to wait in hope for considerable years before bothering to pull a cork.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephan Reinhardt, Wine Advocate
David Schildknecht, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Picked in the second week of October with 132° Oechsle, the 2018 Rausch Auslese Long Gold Capsule –Versteigerung– (AP 4), displays an intense and concentrated lemon- and grapefruit-scented nose with lime zest and raspberry aromas as well as tropical fruits, floral and honey notes. On the palate, this is a nobly rich, intense, tightly woven and slightly licorice-flavored Auslese with enormous richness paired with finesse and elegance. This is spectacularly dense, fresh and tight, still too tight to sing, but it will fill the largest opera houses around the globe in a few years—and still in 50. A spectacular wine with a well-balanced 163 grams per liter of residual sugar that will be auctioned in Trier later this year. Tasted in June 2019.