Just starting to enter its drinking window and it did take an hour to open and show gorgeous yellow tropical fruits, with subtle white fruit notes, hints of honey and stones on the nose, acidity is well hidden but support the residual sugar notes and pops on the medium plus finish
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This is killer. It starts with a gorgeous nose, but one not unusual for the producer or vineyard, with mixed florals, brown sugar, and wet stone. On the palate, however the 2002 Sonnenuhr Auslese is singular, with spiced fruit and savory herbs coming together with only subtle sweetness and a firm mineral foundation. The overall impression is one of a very fine and complex baked dessert yet this comes across as suitable to just about any point in the meal. Again, just killer. Drink now through 2025.
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Bottle had no stars. Drank last nite with Pollacks with spicy Thai food-always a good match. I've had this wine before, though it's been awhile, but this wine is still very much in a good place. Muted petrol nose is still there, along with aromas of peaches and orange peel. Still with a pretty golden color. Very pleasant minerality, with ripe peaches, green apples and slate. Not so much an oily texture or as sweet as I recall, but still with very generous level of acidity. Fairly viscous and full-bodied, & sweet but not overly so for an auslese. This wine remains well balanced with good acidity, nice complexity, good stony quality blended well with ripe fruits. A very enjoyable riesling still with a good amount of time left on it.
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Awesome stuff. I would never guess that this was 15 years old. So fresh, so golden bright. Sweet but not dessert wine sweet. Tropical fruits. Makes me think of summer.
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A bit muted on the nose, but tastes delicious. Ripe pear, peach, apple, apricot, petrol, slate, and cinnamon. Medium body with a wonderfully creamy mouthfeel. Excellent balance and barely noticeable sweetness. Many years of life left.
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Quite ripe, but balanced. Very concentrated and showing a lot of RS - firmly in desert wine territory. Strangely, the cork had 2003 on it, while the bottle said 2002. Profile is more 2003 to me, but I could be wrong. Tropical fruits and nice length. Really nice with the foie gras. Hold as I think that this would be nicer once the RS subsides. B+/A-
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Bottle had no stars. The cork was so dry it fell apart while opening resulting in some cork in the glass. A pretty golden color. A slightly muted nose of petrol, slate and peaches. Good minerality, ripe peaches, oily texture and sweetness that was nicely offset by the wine's very generous levels of acidity. Full-bodied, sweet but not overly so for an auslese, the wine is well balanced with good acidity, nice complexity, good stony quality blended well with ripe fruits. An enjoyable riesling with a lot of time left on it
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A lovely auslese: This bottle was the one-star, and I believe the first time I've had it. Much petrol on the nose, very pale color, medium bodied but fairly unctuous on the palate, very honey-like mouth feel. Sweet but not cloyingly so, with enough acidity to distinguish it from a dessert wine. Lots of peaches and liche on the palate. A very pleasant wine, and help up very well with the sushi and wasabe that we drank it with. This wine has many many more years to go and I look forward to experiencing it again in another decade.
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nose: fresh and plump nose of petrol, green apples, quince, pears, crushed rocks and a touch of peach blossoms as well. Well balanced with nice depth too
taste: excellent medium/full body with polished tones of quince, pears, green apples, a touch of petrol and bits of crushed rocks and mineral tones. Doesn't really taste like an auslese but is accompanied by very good medium+ acidity
overall: this has a light gold color and doesn't really show much age at all. Very nicely balanced and it does need a little bit of air to blow off a bit of sulpher tones. Comes off as drier than an auslese and more along the lines of a spatlese. A pretty yoiesling that is starting to really show itselfung r
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A Rainy, Fishy Mosel Meal (C Restaurant, Vancouver): From magnum. False start with a horribly corked magnum, but graciously replaced without hesitation by this one. Still light yellow. Very light and surprisingly dry for an Auslese. Lovely pure peach and apple fruit with excellent underlying acidity and a hint of mature Riesling aromas. Little or no botrytis. Probably the second choice of the group tonight behind the '03 Grans Fassian wine.
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Beautiful golden color. Muted nose with some apricots and minerals. Lovely intense apricot flavor with spice on the back end. It's taking on the spicy graham cracker tastes that come with older Ausleses. Full bodied and long, but remarkably light and crisp. Glad I have another bottle of this.
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nose: nice lighter styled nose of apples, peaches, white florals, quince and hints of various citrus tones. Nice nose, but lacking a slight bit of depth
taste: nice feel with well balanced flavors of quince, green apples, peach tones and some bits of citrus. Good medium+ acidity gives this a nice spine
overall: a nice and refreshing riesling that is drinking well. good flavors and feel, but doesn't seem to have that next full gear to really push this. A very enjoyable riesling with good depth, but just lacking a slight bit on the mid palate to really get me going
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This is off the beaten path for my tastes -- I don't usually take to non-dessert wines that are this sweet -- and while I'm glad I tried it, I won't be revisiting it. The nose gives off a touch of petrol and burnt rubber, and the attack (somewhat to my surprise) is almost as syrupy-sweet as Sprite; there's not quite enough acidity to keep everything balanced. I do find some Hawaiian Punch-type flavor on the palate, which I find pleasing enough, and the finish is respectably long and clean. My wife quite enjoys it, but a Kabinett or Spatlese from this same producer would likely suit my preferences better.
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Purchased at Long's Drugs in Kihei for $23. Fairly mute on the nose, traces of papaya and rainwater. Flavors reminded my wife and I of syrup from a fruit cocktail can, even with a slight tinniness. Luscious and rich texture, but it could have used a little more acidity and structure. Some caramel-corn notes on the finish.
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Clear golden straw; spritz on the nose of petrol, kiwi fruit and ripe apple; sweet palate of pear and quince; very well balanced with less obvious acidity than expected; acidity shows up on the long dry finish though.
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Had with very hot indian food, so it was hard to taste with any subtlety, but it complemented the food wonderfully. Had some after dinner too and it was delicious--nice fruit, balanced acid, good finish.
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8/21/2019 - eoinhharkins wrote: 95 Points
Just starting to enter its drinking window and it did take an hour to open and show gorgeous yellow tropical fruits, with subtle white fruit notes, hints of honey and stones on the nose, acidity is well hidden but support the residual sugar notes and pops on the medium plus finish
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11/17/2018 - rlove wrote: 95 Points
This is killer. It starts with a gorgeous nose, but one not unusual for the producer or vineyard, with mixed florals, brown sugar, and wet stone. On the palate, however the 2002 Sonnenuhr Auslese is singular, with spiced fruit and savory herbs coming together with only subtle sweetness and a firm mineral foundation. The overall impression is one of a very fine and complex baked dessert yet this comes across as suitable to just about any point in the meal. Again, just killer. Drink now through 2025.
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3/12/2017 - cephomer Likes this wine:
Bottle had no stars. Drank last nite with Pollacks with spicy Thai food-always a good match. I've had this wine before, though it's been awhile, but this wine is still very much in a good place. Muted petrol nose is still there, along with aromas of peaches and orange peel. Still with a pretty golden color. Very pleasant minerality, with ripe peaches, green apples and slate. Not so much an oily texture or as sweet as I recall, but still with very generous level of acidity. Fairly viscous and full-bodied, & sweet but not overly so for an auslese. This wine remains well balanced with good acidity, nice complexity, good stony quality blended well with ripe fruits. A very enjoyable riesling still with a good amount of time left on it.
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2/25/2017 - showard wrote: 92 Points
Awesome stuff. I would never guess that this was 15 years old. So fresh, so golden bright. Sweet but not dessert wine sweet. Tropical fruits. Makes me think of summer.
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12/31/2014 - jayw Likes this wine:
A bit muted on the nose, but tastes delicious. Ripe pear, peach, apple, apricot, petrol, slate, and cinnamon. Medium body with a wonderfully creamy mouthfeel. Excellent balance and barely noticeable sweetness. Many years of life left.
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4/19/2013 - pifcho Likes this wine:
Quite ripe, but balanced. Very concentrated and showing a lot of RS - firmly in desert wine territory. Strangely, the cork had 2003 on it, while the bottle said 2002. Profile is more 2003 to me, but I could be wrong. Tropical fruits and nice length. Really nice with the foie gras. Hold as I think that this would be nicer once the RS subsides. B+/A-
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3/16/2013 - cephomer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bottle had no stars. The cork was so dry it fell apart while opening resulting in some cork in the glass. A pretty golden color. A slightly muted nose of petrol, slate and peaches. Good minerality, ripe peaches, oily texture and sweetness that was nicely offset by the wine's very generous levels of acidity. Full-bodied, sweet but not overly so for an auslese, the wine is well balanced with good acidity, nice complexity, good stony quality blended well with ripe fruits. An enjoyable riesling with a lot of time left on it
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12/21/2011 - cephomer wrote: 92 Points
A lovely auslese: This bottle was the one-star, and I believe the first time I've had it. Much petrol on the nose, very pale color, medium bodied but fairly unctuous on the palate, very honey-like mouth feel. Sweet but not cloyingly so, with enough acidity to distinguish it from a dessert wine. Lots of peaches and liche on the palate. A very pleasant wine, and help up very well with the sushi and wasabe that we drank it with. This wine has many many more years to go and I look forward to experiencing it again in another decade.
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3/27/2011 - KeithAkers wrote: 91 Points
nose: fresh and plump nose of petrol, green apples, quince, pears, crushed rocks and a touch of peach blossoms as well. Well balanced with nice depth too
taste: excellent medium/full body with polished tones of quince, pears, green apples, a touch of petrol and bits of crushed rocks and mineral tones. Doesn't really taste like an auslese but is accompanied by very good medium+ acidity
overall: this has a light gold color and doesn't really show much age at all. Very nicely balanced and it does need a little bit of air to blow off a bit of sulpher tones. Comes off as drier than an auslese and more along the lines of a spatlese. A pretty yoiesling that is starting to really show itselfung r
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10/23/2010 - drwine2001 wrote:
A Rainy, Fishy Mosel Meal (C Restaurant, Vancouver): From magnum. False start with a horribly corked magnum, but graciously replaced without hesitation by this one. Still light yellow. Very light and surprisingly dry for an Auslese. Lovely pure peach and apple fruit with excellent underlying acidity and a hint of mature Riesling aromas. Little or no botrytis. Probably the second choice of the group tonight behind the '03 Grans Fassian wine.
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5/30/2010 - uncle_fester wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful golden color. Muted nose with some apricots and minerals. Lovely intense apricot flavor with spice on the back end. It's taking on the spicy graham cracker tastes that come with older Ausleses. Full bodied and long, but remarkably light and crisp. Glad I have another bottle of this.
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6/9/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 90 Points
nose: nice lighter styled nose of apples, peaches, white florals, quince and hints of various citrus tones. Nice nose, but lacking a slight bit of depth
taste: nice feel with well balanced flavors of quince, green apples, peach tones and some bits of citrus. Good medium+ acidity gives this a nice spine
overall: a nice and refreshing riesling that is drinking well. good flavors and feel, but doesn't seem to have that next full gear to really push this. A very enjoyable riesling with good depth, but just lacking a slight bit on the mid palate to really get me going
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8/10/2008 - EricBe wrote: 91 Points
cork was getting a bit moldy, but the wine was fine. Again with indian food, went great.
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7/3/2005 - Stephan O wrote: 86 Points
This is off the beaten path for my tastes -- I don't usually take to non-dessert wines that are this sweet -- and while I'm glad I tried it, I won't be revisiting it. The nose gives off a touch of petrol and burnt rubber, and the attack (somewhat to my surprise) is almost as syrupy-sweet as Sprite; there's not quite enough acidity to keep everything balanced. I do find some Hawaiian Punch-type flavor on the palate, which I find pleasing enough, and the finish is respectably long and clean. My wife quite enjoys it, but a Kabinett or Spatlese from this same producer would likely suit my preferences better.
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3/26/2005 - otisabdul wrote: 86 Points
Purchased at Long's Drugs in Kihei for $23. Fairly mute on the nose, traces of papaya and rainwater. Flavors reminded my wife and I of syrup from a fruit cocktail can, even with a slight tinniness. Luscious and rich texture, but it could have used a little more acidity and structure. Some caramel-corn notes on the finish.
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3/13/2005 - Patrick wrote: 91 Points
Clear golden straw; spritz on the nose of petrol, kiwi fruit and ripe apple; sweet palate of pear and quince; very well balanced with less obvious acidity than expected; acidity shows up on the long dry finish though.
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2/14/2004 - EricBe wrote:
Had with very hot indian food, so it was hard to taste with any subtlety, but it complemented the food wonderfully. Had some after dinner too and it was delicious--nice fruit, balanced acid, good finish.
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