Heribert Kerpen 1988er Wehlener Sonnenuhr Reisling Auslese

Golden orange-brown color (I see I've already done the "I'm Brown, from the Sun" bit, so I'll refrain from repetition).

Bus-stop diesel smell. Here's a most esoteric tasting note that strains "organoleptic" beyond any reasonable breaking point: this wine reminds me of seeing F1 cars streaming through a chicane at Spa-Francorchamps, and a crisp Belgian day, rain threatening after a rain-soaked qualifying jumbled the starting order. Spa as it was before 2004. Or so I hear.

The sweetness inherent to an Auslese has diminished while a rich flavor, characteristic of well-aged Riesling, has developed. Way tangerine, peach, coconut.

Excellent bottle, medium-bodied, a one-of-a-kind example (well, today it is!) from the sundial, a famous Moselle vineyard, delicate, powerful.

Peter Geiben Karlsmuhle 2005 Kaseler Nies'chen Riesling Auslese

A very tight cork in this bottle, required the use of a sharp knife and, eventually, passing a wine / cork-crumb slurry through a coffee filter.

Straw color, petillance is noticeable on the glass.

Sweet peach smell, more than a hint of Botrytis edelfaule.

Sweet noble-rot-infected peach and apricot flavors, petillant on the tongue, rich dessert treat. Impressive for such a young Riesling, but I'll come back for another bottle (which I hope is easier to open) in five years more.

Pricey bottle for $56.99, but good!