A 2005 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese trocken – also at 12.5% alcohol – offers a gorgeous, multi-faceted nose of roasted nuts and coffee, vanilla, sage, sweet floral perfume, and baked apple. Creamy and full yet satisfyingly juicy and sappy with wet stone, toasted nuts, and vanilla underlying a persistent inner-mouth florality in a highly site-typical way, this finishes with polish, refinement, striking complexity, and an invigorating hint of citrus that practically compels the next sip. What's more, play around with this at home and you'll be convinced of its versatility. “For me, 2005 is a singular vintage in my career,” says Johannes Selbach, “in that it is ripe, multi-faceted, and has excellent acidity. You can pick any of the other recent classics – 1975, 1990 ... . Each of the benchmark years is great in its way, however here you have a combination that is fun to drink now, ten years from now, and in thirty years as well. It remains to be seen, but I think 2005 is in another league.” Readers will indeed be hard pressed this year to find another address with this many consistently outstanding wines, and when has there ever been a more diverse and at the same time magnificent array of Auslesen? In their upper reaches, the Selbach 2005s seem – like Zilliken's, but in their own unique way – to chart a trajectory beyond the normal course for their vintage. The harvest here extended from mid-October to mid-November.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300