As in the case of the corresponding Turmberg, Weil insists that his 2008 Kiedricher Grafenberg Auslese came from golden, in part shriveled, yet botrytis-free berries. The sense of floral and herbal essences represents a continuation, indeed accentuation, of a vintage- as well as village-typical theme. Licorice and quinine lend a bittersweet cast to the juiciness of white peach, purple plum, and fresh fig on the palate. And even with this wine’s sheer ripeness, unctuous, glyceral richness, and high residual sugar there is a wonderfully savory saline streak that runs through it, accentuating its lip-smacking sense of refreshment. The finish is spectacularly long and interactive, its mineral aspects of salt, chalk, and iodine especially striking. I would expect it to perform magnificently for at least 30 years. There were around 1,000 liters, incidentally, of each of Weil’s 2008 Auslesen. Inexplicably, I seem to have simply missed out on tasting an auction-destined gold capsule Grafenberg Auslese which, I confess, it is hard to imagine could have been more amazing than its (far from) regular counterpart! Lasting from mid-October to mid-November, the 2008 harvest was relatively early and short by the standards of Weingut Robert Weil, if not by those prevailing in most German Riesling-growing establishments. Wilhelm Weil thought the changing ratio of malic to tartaric acid was critical during October, and that the relative increase in tartaric – and its eventual precipitation in almost unprecedented amounts in cask – is what made possible impeccably-balanced 2008s. “I think,” he asserts, “that the 2008s combine the advantages of 2006 and 2007: the stuffing and energy of 2006 with the purity and elegance of 2007.” Importer: Loosen Brothers, Portland, OR tel. (510) 864-7255