Dr. Hermann Erdener Herrenberg Riesling Auslese

With the leftover pork belly roast, another bottle was withdrawn from the cellar. This one had an old leak and a level 4.6cm below the cork, so I wasn't expecting much. Yet, upon pouring, the colour was more full yellow than gold. A nice start, and closer on the nose to the bottle noted in 2022 (also ullaged), with obviously fresher Erden-like peach, but with that interesting whiff of ashtray that was shown by the previous bottle, even more prominently …

A bottle without any visual issues. Full gold. Nose is much more modest than in 2022 with peach as distant as it could imaginably be, though there is some faint brown spice in the background. The palate is thankfully, much better. Simpler than the prädikat, as per my 2022 note, but pretty vibrant - even showing minor spritz. Very ripe, very concentrated and with proper length, but lacking nuance and distinction. Not as good as the previous bottle noted. Only …

Old leak. Level 3cm below cork. Fresh looking yellow and not looking tired in the least. The nose is a rather simple cooked peach and a small dollop of cream combination, though, and perhaps too easily confused with the producer's Treppchen from Erden, given the lack of assertive spice. In the mouth there's a slightly honeyed peach and cream flavour. Fresh and with a light-auslese weight, this wine, in good and plentiful vintages would have been de-classified to spätlese, as …

From a half-bottle over 3 days. A gleaming gold colour, which is maintained for the duration. A very small amount of botrytis on the nose. The acidity of the vintage is immediately evident, but there is an unexpectedly concentrated mix of very ripe cooked peach and dried apricot flavours ending with goosebump-inducing dried apricot acid on the finish. Day 3, with two pours remaining, starts with some pungent citrus on the nose and makes a transition to quince, which makes …

Apple, citrus; lemon. A lot of sweetness and acidity. This wine can last many years.