Large-scale but still utterly refined

After my wonderful Haag offering earlier tonight the partner wanted to compete. He manifestly out-performs me with this wine. It has been far too long since I had a Muller-Catoir sweetie especially one of this screaming quality; when they are good they are throbbingly good. This is made from a historically ‘grand cru’-classified section inside the Haardter Burgergarten vineyard which they started bottling separately in 2005.

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Riesling Auslese Breumel in den Mauern 2008, Muller-Catoir

A dense, expressive nose of super-ripe grapefruit and a distinct red fruit character. There is something more than a little savoury about this nose, rosehips perhaps, or some of that German rhubarb I’ve been reading about today. It is livid in its intensity and power, pulsing with rich, earthy complexity in addition to its fruity and savoury characters. This is a stunning nose, for all of its authority and brawn it is still a kaleidoscope of beautiful and refined aromas; this is when I start saying things like “it’s the most attentively-licked clean cat’s arse, man” and indeed it is. The palate is dense with sweetness but perfectly balanced with penetrating acidity. There is a degree of that savoury character present on the palate too, it has shades of rhubarb astringency. Its incredible earthy power is most compelling with a melange of different mineral and fruit flavours that persist for an impressive period on the finish. This has so many tremendous flavours I don’t think I can describe them all in any meaningful manner; one of those Parker-esque lists of innumerable different fruits and cooking ingredients would belittle both the wine and my experience of it. Yet, for all of its commanding, energetic force this palate never lacks balance, harmony and god-damn beauty. Unreservedly one of the world’s completely, screamingly, mind-twistingly best sugary wines and no mistake.

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