Reinhold Haart, Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Riesling Spätlese, 2007

Not many things in life beat a late harvest Riesling from the Mosel - sweet, yes, but usually well balanced with acidity and mineral that combine to a perfect sensation that is way too elegant and vibrant to be simply considered a sweet dessert wine. On top of that many of these wines are low on alcohol too. One of my favourite producers of sweet Riesling is Reinhold Haart, a small family owned estate overlooking the Mosel river in the old winemaking village of Piesport.

The 2007 Spätlese needs a little time to open up (it will certainly profit from a few more years in the bottle), starting with a nose of mineral, fresh green fruit with a little lemon acidity, melon, pineapple and, most importantly, the herbal and flowery notes that are so typical of the Haart wines. After a while the Haart feels a little more fruity, mixing sweet peach and apricot with a unique bit of raspberry - but don't expect an in-your-face fruit explosion; this Riesling is well balanced and delicate

On the tonge herbal notes embedded in mineral and coated with a nicely balanced, blessed mix of fruitiness (juicy peach) with just the right kind of fresh acidic zing. Plus raspberry, very nice raspberry, both bitter and sweet, like raspberry purée. Really nice zingy-fruity finish with the right level of bitterness and tongue-tingling.

Raspberry-yummy-goodness!