If you want lighter, why buy Auslesen rather than Kabinetts or Spatlesen? In today’s world, many wines labels Kabinett or Spatlese exceed the minimum must weight for Auslese.
I suspect you just prefer Auslese from brighter vintages.
This is a reasonable point. Sometimes I find myself trying to force something; usually, it’s best not to do that.
I assume this is directed at @Colby_Scott, who asked the question, and not me, who answered.
I haven’t bought a non-trocken Auslese of any kind in almost 10 years.
But, I could still see preferring the lighter variants of Auslese. It’s still a different category from Kabinett and Spätlese (although the historical point is interesting). If you want something in that zone, but lighter as opposed to heavier.
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Yes, almost certainly. Is 2004 a bright vintage?
Only had a handful from before 2015, so my experience is quite limited.
Not mutually exclusive. I probably buy 1 Auslese and 3 Spatlese for every 24 Kabinett.
I love the flavor intensity of a light, bright, Auslese. The best wine I’ve had so far is a 2010 Ludes Auslese, and I’m chasing that dragon. However, the number of overly sweet, heavy, syrupy, Auslese is really disappointing. Hence my reason for asking for recommendations.
Yes. 2004 is a bit of a mini-2001. 2008 might also fit your tastes.
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You should like what you like. Light, bright Auslese can be great. I esp. love 2010 Auslese, although many of my favorites veir more to eiswein rather than being light. But, the high acidity of 2010s really makes for bright wines.
My point was that sometimes these days the type of lighter Auslese you like is labeled Spatlese.
If what really are looking for is brightness, another higher acid vintages is 2021.
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Intriguing. I don’t think that I have tried an Auslese from that vintage, since I was so focused on Kabinett and Trocken. Thanks for winding me up!
No doubt for me: the best wines I ever had where Auslesen. But since several years I very seldom open one or buy some. Actually, I think the last Riesling SWAG was the last time I dran Auslese.
Frankly, neither have I. I have a few, but most of my purchases have been Kabinetts and Spatlesen. But, they have good acidity like 2010 (although I don’t think of the vintage as being as ripe as the 2010s) and I would think the Auslesen would be the type of lighter and brighter wines he desires. Worth a try, right?
I’ve had a few, and they were excellent.
I suppose I’m not sure that I can appreciate a difference between spatlese and auslese simply by label. For me, a lighter auslese could just as well be a big kabinett. The actual style that you seek though will be producer/vintage dependent.
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I’ll pile on for 2021 but with the caveat that they ( or at least jj prum) have shut down already
I loved them on release
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This would be the best way to describe it, IMHO, but with a flavor depth and intensity a Kabinett can’t achieve. The 2004 Haag I had the other night would fit that description to a T.
I am not sure I agree here.
A big Kabinett isn’t like a light Auslese. There’s more than just the sugar level, theres the acidity and texture (creaminess).
The best Auslese I recall in recent years was a 2022 Julian Haart Goldtropfchen, amazing wine and I think I preferred it to some of the 3* versions. Find me a Kabi that tastes like that and I’ll eat my hat.
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How many auslese can you find that tastes like that?
Count me as another who completely disagrees. A super charged Kabinett still doesn’t have the textural depth of an Auslese. The only vintage where that happened in my buying experience (back to the early 1990s) was 2006, but that’s because everything had botrytis!
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Sometimes he makes two a year… 
But what Kabi tastes like a Prum Auslese for example?
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From my limited experience, very few.