2010 Riesling Spätlese trocken, Schloss Lieser

"I don't always taste Thomas Haag's upper-end trocken bottlings, simply because I must make a point of asking, and his collections are often already so large as to challenge the time I am able to invest in tasting and note-transcription; but it was a pleasure to experience his 2010 Riesling Spatlese trocken (sourced solely from Niederberg Helden, unlike Schloss Lieser's other, multi-village generic cuvees), which improbably combines stuffing and levity. Furthermore, the acids here add to the sense of buoyancy and engender liveliness without sharpness. So evidently - taking Haag at his word about this cuvee - even absent residual sugar he was able to accomplish harmony in 2010 without resorting to de-acidification. Lime, winter pear, and kumquat pungently and piquantly tinged with fresh ginger, walnut, and fruit pip as well as suffused with crushed stone juicily inform a palpably dense, silken-textured palate that lingers with interactive complexity. What a model - and in this of all vintages - for what well-balanced trocken Middle Mosel Riesling can (I daresay "should") be! I suspect it will be worth following for at least half a dozen years." (Parker's Wine Advocate 199)