Deep yellow-gold. Initially extremely closed, then hinted at high-toned pineapple, maple syrup, lime and vanillin oak; gives up its perfume like a tree yields its sap. This pours, and tastes, more like a solid than a liquid. Incredibly thick, honeyed, clinging wine that's virtually impossible to spit. This elixir is not especially aromatic and yet it's not particularly heavy either. In fact, this is amazingly wine-like for a semi-liquid that's nearly 50% sugar (482 grams per liter). Find a loved one and get out the rubber sheets: maybe this one should have been called Inamorata. - VM
VM98
The virtually perfect 2002 Mr. K. The Straw Man boasts astounding statistics. Aged 30 months in barrel, with only 7.2% alcohol, it carries 482 grams per liter of residual sugar (half the wine), and 7.8 grams per liter of acidity. It is simply off the charts. Sexy, eye-popping, palate-staining stuff, it is like liquefied honey with extraordinary complexity, aromatics yet freshness and delineation. I simply do not understand how this wine was made given the technical numbers and its amazing sugar. It is neither heavy nor cloying, and is a remarkable tour de force created by two Austrian geniuses. - WA
WA98