Schloss Johannisberg : Riesling Rosalack Auslese 2021

An explosion of flowers, including honeysuckle and a slew of pink roses in the nose announces a truly extraordinary 2021 riesling that carries its healthy grape sweetness with pride. And then this slender ballerina leaps effortlessly across the stage to land on tiptoe in the spotlight. Enormous aging potential. Drink or hold.

Only a little botrytis on the nose, some fig, but also floral, plus citric and yellow-fruity notes, pineapple. Light-footed on the palate, with striking acidity and a sweetness that is not viscously doubled, tactile-mineral underpinnings, pithy, with an already gradually fanning out spiciness on the finish, light style.

The 2021 Schloss Johannisberg Rosalack Riesling Auslese exhibits a clear, bright color that indicates only a little bit of botrytis, as does the nose, which is intense and concentrated, exhibiting a delicate and sweet raisin aroma. Rich and sweet but also piquant and stimulatingly salty on the palate, this is an elegant, finely grippy and bitter-finishing Auslese with grapefruit notes. This is really stimulating, digestible and curiously less sweet in taste than the Spätlese, though with 33 grams per liter more residual sugar (11 grams per liter of total acidity). 7.5% stated alcohol. Natural cork. Tasted in July 2022.