2009 Alfred Merkelbach Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese

The Merkelbachs’ “one star” 2009 Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese* A.P. #17 (whose diminutive star they have had printed over the “n” rather than after “Spatlese”) represents – like its sibling A.P. #20 – an amalgam of two barrels. It harbors a surprisingly high 10.5% alcohol, even with 54 grams of residual sugar left behind. Both more emphatic and more opulent than its siblings, this also proves to be uncannily well-balanced. Marzipan, brown-spiced baked apple, lightly-cooked strawberry, honeysuckle, and Chartreuse-like herbal essence hover over the glass and flood your palate with gentle waves of fruit, nut cream, and wafting inner-mouth floral perfume. This finishes with ravishing persistence and should remain a delight for 15 or so years. The Merkelbach brothers often do less well in lower-acid, really ripe vintages, but despite a certain softness in common among their 2009s, these for the most part display lovely delicacy, flattering textures, and – as usual – represent absurdly good value. They won’t persuade many lovers of Mosel Riesling to forsake the more vibrant, refreshing, and mineral-centric virtues of the 2008 collection at this address, but as it happens, a whole new wave of Merkelbach bottles from that vintage seems recently to have arrived stateside. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300