Kanzemer Altenberg Riesling Beerenauslese 2009 Von Othegraven

Professional reviews

Robert Parker (90)

Von Othegraven's December 19 2009 Kanzemer Altenberg Riesling Eiswein leads with dusty, fungal notes of botrytis of a sort that in my experience seldom portend an entirely successful palate performance, and particularly not in the frozen grape genre. These notes are surprising in view of Barth's assurance that the vines were not packed in plastic film and the grape clusters thus free-hanging. Perhaps the nose here will have cleared up some even short-term. On the palate, this comes rather close to the brown spiced quince preserves and honey exhibited by the corresponding Auslese Alte Reben, but paradoxically (for Eiswein) without notable vivacity or delicacy. This seeming cross between Beerenauslese and Eiswein finishes with greater purity than the nose had led me to anticipate, and with impressive sheer length, though also with considerable superficial sweetness. Perhaps it will pull off a more impressive performance in a few years, but I would also not plan on waiting more than 6-8 years to revisit this and assess its aging potential.