Willi Schaefer - Riesling Auslese nr 11 Graacher Domprobst 2006 r (0,375)

David Schildknecht Issue Date 30th Oct 2008 Source 179, The Wine Advocate The Schaefers’ 2006 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese A.P.#11 smells Chartreuse-like in its suggestion of herbal and floral distillate; pits creaminess against bright lemon, tart crab apple, juicy, fresh yellow plum, and piquant walnut oil; and finishes with seemingly unlimited sappy, spicy concentration of herbs, citrus, and pit fruits. This rich yet not at all fat or even creamy Riesling brilliantly fulfills Schaefer’s intention to press the fresh fruit from the grapes without bringing along any bitter or coarser elements of botrytis. The refinement, subtlety, yet length and energy are remarkable. This would best be given 5-7 years before re-visiting and will then last at least 20 more. I wrote of vintage 2005 as representing a return to the incomparable level of quality that long prevailed at this address, and fans of Willi Schaefer and is son Christoph will be delighted to learn that their two subsequent vintages are as fine as any that have come from this cellar, and that they’ve increased acreage at least a bit in an effort to assuage the demand that now rages at home as well as abroad. That said, the harvest of 2006 was a perfect example of why Willi Schaefer has so long resisted acquiring more vines. “It was a race,” Christoph says, “in order to preserve our style of wine” and an intimate knowledge of each parcel and ability to make quick decisions were essential. “In the first week of October,” notes Willi Schaefer, “we still had half-way normal yields, but after that the crop shriveled. And the beautiful truth is that the acids concentrated, too.” By corralling friends and relatives from the village, Schaefers were able to muster 25 pickers the second week, their largest team ever. It certainly paid off!