Matthias Müller, Bopparder Hamm Feuerlay, Riesling Spätlese, 2005
Straw-coloured. Fairly understated smell of candied citrus peel, camomile tea and a hint of petrol.
The taste is so much fresher and more open: Wonderful rich sweetness, elegant ripe pineapple notes, the world's fruitiest camomile tea, the tiniest hint of caramel, good stable acidity, a mineral background. What makes this Spätlese wonderful is that it has the complex flavours of maturity (the typical lemon, peach and apricot aroma of young riesling is almost completely gone), but is still vibrant and fresh. It seems that, out of pure luck, I have opened it at a very good point in its development.
From a region not often talked about, a producer to watch out for.