WTN: Weingut Max Ferd Richter Riesling Spatlese 1999

Brauneberger Juffer, MSR.

Lovely petrol on the nose.

The wine took a bit of time to evolve through the evening. Started out thick, strongly honeyed, crisp apple, petrol, rather fat and without much acidity, except for a bit of a zip toward the finish. Initially, I found the wine to be rather simple, although quite rich.

With time, the acidity increased, revealing grapefruit and the honey notes, while still present, didn't dominate as they did before. The wine was still quite rich and intense, I just felt it was better balanced with the greater acidity.

A long, mouthwaterining finish, with tangy green apples.

Delicious.

Bruce, your description of this wine reminds me of a tale my late brother loved to tell. He lived in Colombia South Carolina and loved to fish.

One day he was fishing from the bank for Stripped bass using cut bait on the bottom. The current in this river is quite strong, and the stream is laden with rock up to large boulder size.

He had cast his bait out and not felt a nudge for quite a long time and thought it time to check his bait. He started to reel it in when it started to move upstream. Well, he set the hook rather fiercely and the fun began. His line zinged out rapidly and no matter how hard he attempted to turn the fish it kept right on upstream, until he was out of line and the like broke, and to this day the fish may still be moving on. An older gentleman who was fishing a few yards away, called to him and said, "That is how the big ones do" !

Sounds like your wine was a "big one"!