Markus Molitor, Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2*, Mosel

After a mixed visit to the estate, I decided to open one of the bottles I already had in the cellar to get a definitive impression. A nose of candied lemon and flint. Fairly smooth on the palate. The wine is presented as dry, but it's clear there's a bit of residual sugar. It's rich and lacks a bit of acidity to stretch the juice. The wine doesn't evoke any particular emotion given that it lacks the distinctiveness of Moselle …

Damn shame that this wine no longer costs $20/bottle.

The last bottle was definitely an off bottle. This kicks serious ass. Bright acidic tropical fruits with perfect sweet-acid balance.

Lots of stickiness on the capsule and a thoroughly soggy cork had me fearing the worst, but there was still an excellent fill, and the wine tasted good enough. Loads of petrol and apricot, and the residual sugar is prominent enough to qualify as Auslese. The finish was a little short, and I liked other bottles from the case better. I think this was a less than ideal bottle of a really good wine. I didn’t want to rate it, …

blind We had it in the same flight with Egon Müller 2004 Auslese so it was not easy. I guessed Rheinhessen. Less concentrated than the Müller wine. At his peak. 94

I was wrong about this entering its drinking window. I think it is starting to shut down. The mid palate wasn’t there. Still good, but I’m going to hold for a few more years.

Ex-post notes, Koops in Durham, over Asian fusion dinner entrees. More saturated gold color than expected. Some petrol already! Aging fast though plenty of fruit (primarily stone fruit, cooked apple rather than fresh peach). Ample acidity for its Spatlese-level RS. Love Molitor, but doesn't have the usual finesse. Expected it to age more slowly and pristinely, but admittedly not a marquis/niche bottling by him.

Good balance of fruit and acidity. Residual sugar is present but not distracting. Will reward those who wait for a few more years, but entering it’s drinking window.

The wine has aged a touch since I last opened a bottle 2 years ago. It's now medium yellow in color. The fruit-sweetness vs. acid balance seems better than my notes from 2 years ago, but then again, I was drinking this wine primarily with good food pairings this time. Paired with arctic char fish topped with the classic North African muhammara sauce. Great pairing. Drinking well now.

Tasted at the winery. This is from their one red slate vineyard, adding some iron characteristics (compared to the rest of their blue slate wines). Pretty light straw color and incredibly light body, for a sweet spätlese. (Molitor uses a gold capsule to indicate a sweet/dessert wine, not a reserve wine.) Maybe the most amazing thing of all is the alcohol -- only 7.5%. But there is some viscosity and fruit that is more classic for a sweet Mosel Riesling. …

Markus Molitor Tasting : Nice floral nose, fresh, a hint of spice, slight honey; moderate length, floridity in the mouth as well, moderate plus sweetness, easy going.