Muller’s 2011 Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese delivers a penetrating and multifarious nose of heliotrope, lily, candied lime rind, quince preserves, white peach preserves, distilled herbal essences, marzipan and brown spices. Almost weightlessly delicate yet simultaneously expansive and creamy, this both caresses and stimulates the palate with a kaleidoscopically interactive array of those diverse and exotic elements that on the nose signaled its ripeness and botrytis ennoblement. An almost syrupy sense of white peach – along with hints of white raisin that emerge in that prodigious finish – fails to tip the scales in too-confectionary a direction thanks to a vibratory sense of energy and refreshing rivulet of juicy fresh peach and lime that is threaded throughout.
An intense auslese Riesling from an exceptional vineyard, Scharzhofberg, in the Saar region, expresses spring flower and tropical fruit with powerful mineral flavors. Dens, with an impressively long finish, this is ready to drink now, but can be worth aging for a decade or two. A masterpiece.