Selbach-Oster Zeltingen Sonnenuhr Riesling Grosses Gewächs

Score

90

"This “three-star” Spätlese trocken was only bottled after the 2017 harvest, and although it deals adequately with its 13% alcohol, it is slightly awkwardly influenced by a five-year-old cask that contributed half of its volume. The nose was surprisingly restrained on opening, registering more oak and lees than fruit, but I was able to return to the bottle half a day later and discovered hauntingly site-typical heliotrope and honeysuckle. Pecan-like bittersweetness and piquancy of apple seed feature prominently – along with primary appley juiciness – on an expansive, glycerol-rich palate that misses the combination of creaminess and animation characteristic of Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling at its most charming. Stony underpinnings and wood influence nudge the seriously sustained finish in a slightly austere direction, and the honeysuckle turns bittersweet, as if one were chomping on both blossom and stem. Perhaps this will benefit from further time in bottle, but I would monitor matters closely, as I am not convinced that it will exhibit quite the ageworthiness I usually experience with dry Selbach-Oster Rieslings. (There will be a comparably late-bottled, late-released 2017.)"