1997 Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese

Very orange‑tangerine aromas and fruit, mint and cooked strawberry, all of them slathered in honey. Glossiest, creamiest wine yet, but doesn't feel fat. More subtle expression of botrytis than in the Wehlener. Subtle but soaring finish of citrus and honey. Three Erdener Prälat Auslesen, culminating in one auctioned for an enormous price, were impressively dense but a bit rough, and tripping over their sweetness a bit on my palate. A Wehlener Sonnenuhr BA, one among three Loosen '97s above Auslese, was infused with a burnt note Loosen likened to "the dust that comes from botrytis."