2020 Dr. H Thanisch Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Auslese, Mosel

It may be the wrong season where you are now, but open this wine and there are all the spring blossoms you could wish for. And somehow it also tastes virtually weightless, tiptoeing over your palate like a ballet dancer. Long, creamy and silky finish that's so fine and delicate. Limited production. Drink or hold.

95 points jamessuckling.com

The Dr. H. Thanisch Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Auslese from the Mosel is a luscious and beautifully balanced wine that captures the estate’s long tradition of crafting world-class Rieslings. The Thanisch family has been making wine in Bernkastel since the 17th century, and their holdings include some of the region’s most renowned vineyards. The Badstube vineyard is a celebrated site just outside Bernkastel, with steep, slate-rich slopes that provide perfect conditions for Riesling. Its south-facing aspect ensures excellent ripening, while the soils give a crystalline minerality that shines through even in the richer styles.

Auslese, meaning “selected harvest,” is made from carefully handpicked, late-harvest grapes, often affected by noble rot (botrytis). The result is a wine with opulent fruit, heightened concentration and natural sweetness balanced by Mosel’s trademark acidity.

In the glass the wine is a bright golden yellow. Aromas leap from the glass with ripe apricot, peach, candied citrus, honeycomb and exotic hints of pineapple and mango, layered over a slatey minerality. The palate is rich and unctuous yet never heavy, with juicy stone fruit and tropical flavours perfectly balanced by crisp acidity. A long, elegant finish leaves impressions of honey, citrus peel and wet stone.

Food pairings highlight its sweet-acid balance. It is divine with blue cheeses such as Roquefort or Gorgonzola dolce, fruit-based desserts like apple tart or peach cobbler, or simply on its own as a contemplative after-dinner wine. It also pairs unexpectedly well with spicy Asian cuisine, where the sweetness tames the heat. With 20 to 30 years of cellaring potential, this Auslese will evolve into a complex, golden-hued wine with layers of caramel, dried fruit and beeswax while retaining its freshness.