Wolder Goldgrube Riesling Auslese 2018

To the extent that botrytis came into play for Vollenweider in this vintage, must weights proved sky-high, so that he directed most of the selectively harvested fruit into this one Auslese that he designated ‘Goldkapsel.’ A gorgeous, heady, high-toned nose features pear and quince preserves shadowed by their distilled counterparts and laced with lily-of-the-valley and gardenia. The creamy palate is decidedly sweet, but that fits this wine’s fruit personality as well as its sense of liquid perfume. Pink grapefruit and an unexpectedly fresh manifestation of pear serve to enliven the lusciously lingering finish, even as vanilla cream and almond paste add a confectionary dimension. Drinking window: 2019-2048. Score – 93. (David Schildknecht, vinous.com, Aug. 2020)