2018 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese

This "one-star" Schlossberg Spätlese harbors 9% alcohol, reflecting an attempt to translate exceedingly ripe material into a Spätlese that would not be too dominantly sweet. And it worked, because the wine is more than buoyant enough but also more restrained in sheer sweetness than a number of its stablemates. Quince and mirabelle are garlanded in honeysuckle on a fetching nose, and the creamy palate displays correspondingly luscious fruit and inner-mouth perfume. Hints of marzipan, hazelnut paste and vanilla pull things in a lightly confectionary direction, but primary juiciness and salinity render the finish refreshing as well as mouthwatering, not to mention evincing unexpectedly impressive transparency to stony nuances.