Representing the botrytis portion from the parcel picked for Spatlese feinherb, the 2005 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule will be auctioned. Aromas of caramelized and distilled pear along with cinnamon and honey-drenched baked apple lead to a palate of enormous ripe fruit concentration and honeyed botrytis character, yet quite firm in texture, adding to the overall impression of a wine that is wearing its extract and botrytis on its sleeve. The finish is of a compressed orchard fruit and white raisin concentrate, nowhere near as juicy, open, or evocative as the majority of wines in this estate’s 2005 collection. Already formidable, will this become more ingratiating with time? The team here – cellarmaster Rudi Hoffmann, vineyard manager Hermann Jostock, and proprietor Nik Weis – continued their streak of highly successful harvests this year, albeit at the price of extremely low yields.Importer: H. B. Wine Merchants, New York, NY; tel. (917) 402-0456