For the second year running, the Rumpfs essayed no vineyard-designated dry wine from the Binger Scharlachberg, and their lean, rather bitter Binger Riesling trocken (effectively declassified Scharlachberg) was little more than marginally recommendable; yet, a 2010 Binger Scharlachberg Riesling Spatlese showed off the residually sweet potential of this great Rheinhessen site, as had its 2009 counterpart. Luscious lime and pineapple sorbet laced with floral perfume, nut oils, and an irresistibly mouthwatering saline savor akin to raw scallop and browned butter lend this polished, long-finishing Riesling from botrytis-tinged berries a combination of charm and intrigue unsurpassed in the present collection. (And at 80 grams of residual sugar – well down from the level of this year’s Dautenpflanzer – surely this is more than sweet enough.) I would project a fine 15 or more year future for this beauty. Stefan and Georg Rumpf’s 2010 collection was one of those, whose stubbornly-dry trocken Rieslings more than just occasionally tended toward an angularity, bitterness, and tartness that I doubt they will entirely outgrow. The Rumpfs de-acidified selectively, sometimes in must and sometimes to young wine. Skin contact was favored as a check on acids, though that may arguably have reinforced bitterness. Bottling times were pushed back by about a month, though in the context of such late harvest that means essentially the usual length of elevage. Incidentally, I found the Rumpf’s two 2009 Spatburgunder bottlings to have been diminished by the quality of barriques employed and/or the wine’s length of exposure to wood, specifically by faintly rancid overtones and a tendency toward drying in the finish.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300