The caramel edge and rounded palate impression of Leitzs 2009 Rudesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Spatlese point toward the super-ripe and botrytis-inflected side of its vintage. A Bittersweet amalgam of peach and apple with vanilla, peach kernel, and apple pip, this soothes where the Dragonstone practically incites (not to mention excites). This long-finishing “fruit bomb” can probably be counted on in such a vintage for 15-20 years of service, though I know of nobody (conspicuously including both yours truly and Johannes Leitz) who has put that to the test. ”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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