1997 Müller-Catoir Haardter Herrenletten Riesling Spätlese
David opened this on the 16th as part of a big dinner/get together with several other wines. A glass that afternoon was tasty, though not compelling for me at the time (in fairness, I was mostly prepping food then and less focused on the wine, so the lack of interest may have been more on me than the wine.)
Revisited the leftovers on the 18th (with biryani), and this showed spectacularly then, better than I remember the bottle showing right when opened. A bright gold colour, showing an array of bright citrus fruits (including those Pfalz grapefruit notes in spades), more savoury smoky notes, a gentle mineral element beneath, but also a high toned floral element that I don't usually find from Catoir. Perhaps that's the vineyard? There's bright acidity beneath that keeps it very fresh and lively, and a sense of lightness on the palate that makes it very easy to drink. It doesn't show the same piercing intensity that so many HGS wines did, where the intensity of the fruit and acidity and many other things all seemed dialed up to 10 or 11, but everything magically came into perfect balance. Instead the fruit, acids, and overall sweetness here seem more dialed back, but - because it's HGS - everything still comes into balance seamlessly, though in a much more understated way, and the whole package is delightful to drink.