Hermann Ludes, “Klüsserather Bruderschaft” Riesling Spätlese

Emerging from relative obscurity, Hermann Ludes has awed us with electrifying Rieslings that masterfully execute the wine world’s most daring balancing act. From century-old self-rooted vines, today’s 2010 single-vineyard Spätlese combines extraordinary acid and a touch of sweetness to create a breathtaking Riesling that will skip through 2050 and beyond.While its age-defying longevity and sheer deliciousness are certainly highlights, it’s the sheer amount of history bottled up in today’s Riesling treasure that takes the spotlight. Each one of these centenarian vines, planted sometime around the First World War, are on their original rootstock. The number of vines around the world that are 100+ years old and ungrafted is a fraction so small it’s nearly indivisible. That, however, is only half of the equation—the wine still has to be made! That’s where Weingut Hermann Ludes enters, a name new to most everyone in America, but one that resonates loud and clear in the Mosel. This 2010 is a