The Hirsch 2007 Riesling Zobing smells of lime and under-ripe apricot and hits the palate with juicy purple plum, apricot, and citrus, leading to an invigoratingly tart finish. What’s interesting for a bracing, light weight (ca. 12% alcohol) Riesling harvested in late September, 2007 is that this displays no tendency to resemble Sauvignon Blanc or Muskateller, but instead is very pit-fruit dominated. A strong sense of saline, peppery, and stony mineral character follows with the tart, refreshingly juicy, pure-fruited finish. Johannes Hirsch was already done harvesting in 2007 on October 8 (after starting September 13), not far behind the Nikolaihof. And there is another connection with that venerable estate which may or may not be vital: Hirsch has been passionately pursuing a biodynamic path. I did manage to get a smile out of him when I suggested that he consider replacing the pile of cow horns he had accumulated with much rarer and surely more efficacious antlers of elk (Hirsch). “The clusters were beautifully golden-yellow, perfect,” he relates, so there was no need to wait, which meant missing out on the mid-October rains.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

A very taut, tight wine, crisp, green, perfumed. It has delicious white currants and hedgerow fruits, its delicacy and elegance balanced by its intensity of flavor. There is a definite herbal, mineral aftertaste. Screwcap.——R.V.(8/1/2008)—— 90