Incorporating the contents of one new (1,200 liter) Stuckfass of Pinot Blanc and one second-year Stuckfass of Pinot Gris, the Diel 2009 Cuvee Victor departs from the long-standing tradition of this wine’s being matured in barrique. It offers scents and flavors of wheat germ, apple, peach, lemon, and an intriguing, maritime-like sense of salinity and alkalinity. I would still like to experience more primary juiciness here, but the mineral extension is quite invigorating and sets up a tasty counterpoint with the wine’s richness, nor is there any of the overt woodiness or heat (even though we’re at 14% alcohol) that I have so often detected in renditions of this prestigious cuvee. Caroline Diel’s 2009 collection is noteworthy not only for a range of outstanding Riesling such as has long been anticipated (though seldom bettered) at this estate, but also for a set of wines from the Pinot family – all, incidentally, now labeled with French rather than German names for their varieties – that in my estimation mark a significant up-tick in quality. That this estate has been famous in Germany for its work with Pinots ever since Armin Diel assumed charge in 1987 and began barrique vinification, I am of course well aware. But only in recent years have I witnessed tendencies to restrain the influence of new wood and to encourage real subtlety, which seem to me prerequisites for achieving with these varieties anything remotely approaching the class of Schlossgut Diel’s Rieslings. The 2009 Pinots were harvested in mid-October and most of the Rieslings in the two weeks following. The superb botrytis selections were all picked-out ahead of even the Pinots.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300