A. Christmann Gimmeldinger Mandelgarten Riesling Grosses Gewachs, Pfalz, Germany

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A maritime mingling of saline and alkaline, kelp and iodine notes in the nose of the Christmann 2009 Gimmeldinger Mandelgarten Riesling Grosses Gewachs makes for genuine intrigue, and there is a delightfully shimmering sense of minerality interacting with lemon and white peach on the palate that puts me in mind a bit of Chablis. Toasted nuts, fruit pits, and citrus rind made for rather pithy back-end piquancy, but fortunately the sense of primary juiciness, ample surface gloss, and dynamic minerality are impressively sustained. I'd anticipate interesting evolution and satisfying performance over the next 5-7 years. Once again, Steffen and Karl-Friedrich Christmann's collection of firm dry Rieslings (smaller in number than in other recent years) has struck my palate as rather relentlessly consistent in its straight-laced and at times brusquely piquant style. I frequently find myself wanting these wines to loosen-up and show greater primary juiciness and sweetly-ripe fruit, especially this year, given the relatively generous tendencies I associate with the 2009 vintage. Certainly nobody can accuse this team of having harvested prematurely. They picked well into October precisely because, opines Karl-Friedrich Christmann, "until then, the fruit wasn't really ripe." "Most of the wines," notes Steffen Christmann, "had fermented completely by mid-December, with only a very few lingering into January" and he was happy to point out that even those labeled as containing 13% of alcohol generally harbored slightly less than that amount. "This," he suggested, picking up a refrain I hear often, though I have no way of testing its basic claim, "is at least in retrospect one of the advantages of biodynamic cultivation, namely ripe flavors and relatively long hang times at moderate must weights and consequently moderate alcohol. For me, the ideal way would be to have no more 14 or 14.5% monsters but nonetheless have complexity, and I think that's the path we're on." Incidentally, I found the finished 2007 Pinot Noir Grosses Gewachs here worrisomely high in volatiles and drying in finish, continuing to feel uneasily as though I must be missing something in evaluating Christmann reds, none of which I tasted from barrel on this most recent outing. Imported by Domaine Select Wine Estates, New York, NY; tel. (212) 279-0799

Bright aromas of white peach, pine nuts and lime. The seductive nectarine fruit and barely perceptible minerality are complemented by smoky spices. This full-bodied wine shines more for its richness than for finesse, but boasts excellent depth and length.