The 2006 Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese Long Gold Capsule (singular, but – for the record – bearing the A.P. #13, and to be auctioned), announces itself with pungent spiciness and almost smarting smokiness, making me think “the Braune Kupp gold capsule is not alone, after all.” Compressed, dried pit fruits, tropical notes of papaya and maracuja, and white raisin all spell out ennobled over-ripeness. An intense, nearly sharp citricity, when combined with the dried fruits, gives this an almost severe palate impression. To say that this Riesling, with its penetrating, almost electrified finish, is youthfully high-spirited would be gross understatement. I tasted it soon after bottling and am confident that it will have harmonized somewhat in the meantime. But I don’t think anything other than time will really rein it in – and then not for many decades. I was unfortunately unable to taste this year’s Trockenbeerenauslese, a deficiency I hope to make up for closer to the time when Muller decides to auction it. Despite the challenges of hail (which struck the Scharzhofberg but not the Braune Kupp) and rampant ripening and botrytis, Egon Muller has turned out a 2006 collection whose quality potential he says can be compared (as he did 2005’s) with 1976, the vintage his father believed to have been the finest of his time. “This was a vintage with massive botrytis,” Muller observes, “yet when you taste the wines today, you are amazed at how elegant and refreshing they are.” (Note: stellar quality was achieved in 1976 almost exclusively on the Saar, not in Germany’s other Riesling-growing regions.) Muller also draws comparison between the styles of 2006 and 1999, although the latter vintage involved a great deal of selection and resulted in no fewer than 37 different bottlings. “Surprisingly,” he says, “in 2006 we did very, very little selection. We played around a bit here and there, but we realized very quickly that the must weights were soaring, and haste in the vineyards and the cellar was essential. We did harvest a very small amount of Trockenbeerenauslese – we wanted to do that. But a lot more would have been possible had there been the time.” Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700