2003 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Spätlese

As usual, Manfred Prum permitted me only a narrow exposure to his 2003 collection, which runs the gamut to TBA. Prum insists, though, that the exaggerated must weights so common this year do not impress him, and that the strength of this vintage-in fact he calls it the greatness-at least at his estate, lies in Spatlesen and Auslesen, harvested from fruit with, at most, a subtle influence from botrytis. He compares 2003 with 1997, but adds that its ripeness is almost unprecedented, so that "in 2002, the Spatlesen of 2003 would have been bottled as Auslesen . We declassified drastically this year to arrive at around a 50/50 ratio of Spatlese to Auslese. " (Various importers, including Rudi Wiest) Also recommended: 2003 Wehlener Riesling Kabinett.