Hermann J. Wiemer 2008 Late Harvest Riesling
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief
too cool for "sweet" riesling might not appreciate it as much.
Big and sweet on the nose, ripe peach, dried apple, sweet, almost Sprite-like lemon-lime and honey aromas display just how ripe the grapes were allowed to get (26.7 brix) before harvest.
Broad and mouth-filling, flavors of honeyed peach and citrus coat the palate, along with definite sweetness. But just before it gets too sweet, the acidity steps forward on the mid-palate, cutting through that sugar and leading into lengthy finish that features a bright citrusy, zesty end note.
Given the sugar level and the acidity, this seems like a wine primed for many years of evolution and development in the bottle as well.
Producer: Hermann J. Wiemer
AVA:
Finger Lakes
Brix:
26.7
RS: 5.9%
ABV: 9.8%
Price: $23*
Rating:
(4 out of 5 | Delicious, Distinctive
)
The Hermann J. Wiemer Estate indeed produces outstanding Rieslings. And the Estate clearly has German roots, which I like. At 26.7 Brix, in Germany the wine would have been way beyond a Spaetlese “Late Harvest”, in the Beerenauslese or even Trockenbeerenauslese category. And it would have been botrytised. What about this one?
Based on the honeyed flavors, my guess is that there was at least some botrytis on the fruit that came in that late.