Tasting Notes

WA94

The relatively early-picked but decidedly botrytized Schaefer 2010 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese A.P. #1 is ethereally redolent of apple blossom, honeysuckle, heliotrope, herbal essences, pink grapefruit, apple, and Rainier cherry, all of which reconvene in an almost explosive profusion on a palate whose levity, juicy generosity, and perfumed persistence is guaranteed to reel you back again and again. “As soon as we tasted the must,” says Willi Schaefer, “we said ‘oh what acidity ... but this is going to be a classic.’” Notes of vanilla and freshly baked bread-yeastiness well up in the long finish and the empty glass, calling to mind the amazing Schaefer Domprobst performances of 1975. (Easy for me or my wife, as this is our anniversary year and none, of its wines more memorably or often enjoyed than Willi Schaefer’s, which he was still selling when I first visited the winery in 1984.) And given that the most recent bottle of 1975 Auslese I tasted – four years ago – was still lovely, I suspect that this 2010, too, will still be delightful 35 years from now.

Other wines you may like