The 2009 Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg Riesling Alte Reben is the brightest in acidity and at the same time pithiest in its mineral expression of Leitzs top dry wines of its vintage. Scents of iris and crushed stone anticipate a palate that is also informed by toasted nuts, pungent herbs, apricot, grapefruit, and tangerine. Yet for all of the citricity and vivacity expressed in this wines focused finish, it also displays an imposing sense of amplitude. I would look for at least a decade of delicious intrigue.
”Yes it was dry,” says Johannes Leitz about the late summer and early autumn of 2009, “but drought stress? Who said anything about drought stress?” Evidently he either has a different definition for that condition or had different experiences from some of his colleagues, but I let the matter drop, and the quality of the wines here speaks eloquently both to Leitzs belief that nature delivered an almost ideal combination this year of near over-watering followed by dry heat (which he called “the parachute that saved us from a crash landing”), and to his success in what for others was a manifestly challenging season on the Rudesheimer Berg. Leitzs team began picking October 6 and continued for almost exactly one month. Incidentally, after working for nearly two decades from an expansion of his original cellar under the family home in suburban Rudesheim, Leitz will soon have completed a large new facility nearby.
Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300
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