2011 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese (Pre-Arrival)

From Jancisrobinson.com: "Cask sample. Smoky/reductive...Fine, bright apricot fruit. It is sweet but somehow you hardly notice the sweetness within the harmony of fruit and acidity and minerality. Dense but very light on its feet. Long." (07/2012) Weingut Joh. Jos. Prum was founded in 1911 by Johann Josef Prum and is currently one of nine German wine estates ranked five stars by Gault Millau, which is the European wine world's equivalent to the Michelin guide and International Winery of the Year 2009 and 2010 by Wine & Spirits Magazine. The Wehlener Sonnenuhr is, without question, the most famous of vineyard sites within the Prum Estate and if not all of the Mosel Valley. With its south-southwest exposure, weathered grey slate and ridiculous steepness (up to 70%) it provides an optimal growing climate for Riesling. The wines from here show fantastic depth of stone fruit flavors accompanied by a fine line of minerality and length. The 2011 vintage was marked by perfect springtime weather conditions, a nice, drawn out, somewhat cool summer and lovely fall that allowed for extended hang times and, in turn, excellent ripening. Somewhat similar to the 2007 vintage, the quality in 2011 is fantastic and the wines are abundant. The 2011s will be slightly more accessible earlier on (5-15 years depending on Prädikat), but with their complexity, elegance and fine structure the aging potential is frustratingly fantastic (patience may be required). (Eric Story, K&L)