Dessert Wine

Overripe pear and lychee on the nose take on a syrupy impression on the polished, soft, subtly creamy and delicate palate. The finish accentuates the impressions of vanilla and liquid lily perfume that were already noted in this year’s "two-star" Hühnerberg Spätlese. And here, too, there is enough juiciness that the caressingly sustained, lush finish doesn’t become cloying. Müllen would certainly take issue with my assessment of ageworthiness, but while it’s going to take a long time for this wine’s superficial sweetness to back off, I am not convinced that the wait will pay significant dividends in complexity. Müllen is currently much enamored with the evolution of his vintage 2003 Spätlesen and Auslesen, with their softness of feel, prominent sweetness and confectionary, caramel-tinged character. Oenophiles who share his high opinion of those traits in Mosel Riesling may well feel rewarded by patient cellaring of a 2018 like this one. (Yet-riper sweet wines from the Hühnerberg – along with other nobly sweet wines from Müllen’s vintage 2018 collection – will be tasted in late 2020 and reviewed as part of a subsequent report.)

Even the fragrance seduces with fully ripe apricots, nectarine, melon and other exotic fruits. On the palate, the selection does not look too sweet. Here, too, ripe stone fruit, pineapple and a number of exotic aromas are shown. Typically Molitor, the selection shows a playful acidity, which is in an elegant harmony with the sweetness. With a powerful finish and a long aftertaste, it remains tasty for a long time.