Displaying a golden core and incredible viscosity, the 2012 Eroica Single Berry Select offers a seductive nose reminiscent of Sauternes, with elements of orange zest, mango, dried apricot, peach preserves, Meyer lemon, panna cotta, quince paste and Satsuma followed by botrytis notes of ginger, saffron and spiced honey. The palate is immaculate with power and precision, showing 7.5% alcohol and approximately 340 grams per liter of residual sugar, resulting in a full-bodied wine with an unctuous mid-palate. The mouthfeel is silky smooth, with layers of stone fruit, sweet citrus and pomaceous tones. The wine concludes with a long-lingering and ever-evolving finish, with persistent flavors of golden raisin purée, poached apples and pears with notions of jasmine, caramelized ginger and crème br?lée. It’s a gorgeous and delicious wine that would be perfect for lighter fare, such as aged blue cheeses and crema Catalana. While this wine offers layers of generosity with finesse and silky sweet fruit expressions, I would personally like to see a touch more acid to capture a higher score. Regardless, it’s a stunning wine that will have no problem aging for half a century and beyond. Only 30 cases were produced.

For thoughts on Chateau Ste Michelle’s uniqueness and recent evolution, consult my extensive April, 2013 text designed to introduce recent tasting notes. With eye-opening and nostril-flaring intensity of high-toned fruit distillates, candied citrus rinds, and shellac, the Ste Michelle-Loosen 2008 Riesling Eroica Single Berry Select – picked entirely in Horse Heaven Vineyard; pressed by the “red team” there; then rushed over the Cascades to Woodinville for fermentation – makes at the very least a striking and complex impression. Hugely viscous, it engenders a palate impression of honey, brown sugar, apricot preserves and orange liqueur, with bitter notes from citrus rind and fruit pit rather than any bright sense of vibrant or mouthwatering acidity serving for what push-back there is to its nearly 400 grams (!) residual sugar. An aura of white raisin joins jam, honey, and liqueur in a finish whose extension consists largely of sheer sweetness. I could easily imagine this “l(fā)iving” for a decade or more, but I suspect that it would take much longer than that for its sweetness to tone-down and that the limitations it carries will not be ameliorated with time. It’s hard not to call a wine that’s outsized in so many respects impressive, but the best of Loosen’s “regular” Eroica Rieslings are better-balanced; far more enticing of the (or at least, my) next sip; and further along the road to world class than this. Tel. (425) 488-1133

Even better (and considerably more expensive) is the 2007 Eroica Single Berry Select, Ste. Michelle's interpretation of a German Trockenbeerenauslese. Made with 100% botrytis-infected fruit, it is deep gold in color with an explosive nose of candied peaches, apricots, ginger, and fruit cake. Incredibly rich and opulent, it is likely to evoke moans of pleasure for another 10-15 years. Chateau Ste. Michelle's portfolio remains strong.www.ste-michelle.com

For thoughts on Chateau Ste Michelle’s uniqueness and recent evolution, consult my extensive April, 2013 text designed to introduce recent tasting notes. The Ste Michelle-Loosen 2007 Riesling Eroica Single Berry Select is far more interesting, mannerly, and winsome than its 2008 counterpart. Aromas of smoky black tea, truffle, honey, orange marmalade, and peach preserves anticipate the complex flavors that emerge on a palate uncannily poised between textural creaminess and honeyed richness on the one hand and levity and refreshment on the other. The brown sugar and raisins of the 2008 are absent here; instead, spice and citrus rind invigorate, while salted caramel mingled with honey and citrus juice serves for saliva inducement in a long finish. This should be worth following for well more than a decade. This was a warm growing season with heat spikes early-on, but as the terrifically successful dry version of Eroica from the same year also seemed to suggest, its what happens in the late innings that really counts. Tel. (425) 488-1133