2015 - Bernkasteler Badstube Auslese 2* Green Capsule, Markus Molitor

The 2015 Riesling Bernkasteler Badstube Auslese ** (Green Capsule) is clear, bright, fresh and flinty on the precise, cool and aromatic nose. The attack on the palate is fresh and piquant before the pure and crystalline texture with all its salts take over the regiment and carries this gorgeous, highly elegant and finessed Auslese into a very long and juicy, in fact endless finish. This is power mixed with purity, finesse and elegance. Great aging potential.

Village-typical cherry and lime on the nose transform themselves into a soothingly sorbet-like, rich yet cooling palate presence tinged with mint and laced with drippingly ripe honeydew melon. Don’t be misled by its labeling: this two-star Auslese is no less discreet in sweetness than its green-capsule Spätlese or Kabinett counterparts. Stony, smoky and otherwise elusive mineral notes convey intriguing counterpoint on a superbly sustained finish. The wine’s acidity, like its residual sugar, is by no means obvious. But the extent to which the two check one another results in an impeccable balance as well as an animation that puts me in mind of well-wound springs beneath the wine’s surface.