From 700 square meters in the original Prälat and 76-year-old vines, the 2021 Erdener Prälat Riesling Spätlese *** offers a stunningly clear, fresh and precise nose with a concentrated but subtle fruit core and a complex mineral and even herbal expression of this legendary cru adjacent to the Mosel River. Round, lush and refined on the palate, this is a very elegant, pure, saline, crystalline and salivating Spätlese that is still far too young to even think of drinking it now. The finish reveals Amalfi lemons, delicate bitters and a crunchy structure. A superb Spätlese that is de facto an Auslese in the digestible style. Picked at 96° Oechsle, this Riesling fermented down to 88.5 grams per liter of residual sugar and 7.5% alcohol. The acidity of 10 grams per liter is spectacular and will carry this razor-sharp Prälat to decades of development and refinement. Natural cork. Tasted at the domaine in July 2022.