Spanier's 2009 Molsheimer Riesling trocken - given its origin in cooler microclimates than those in the commune of Hohen-Sulzen - offers an excellent opportunity for him to illustrate his stated preference for finesse and elegance, and there is a bright, tart mingling of yellow plum and lemon here that certainly refreshes, while flinty pungency in the nose, berry seed tartness, nutty piquancy, and invigorating, saliva-inducing salinity on the palate contribute admirable vibrancy and enticement to take the next sip. To be sure, there is an element of bitterness present here but it's well-integrated and steps away in the finish. This should prove delightfully versatile over at least the next 4-6 years. Oliver Spanier - for information about whose distinctive sites and methods consult especially my report in issue 185 - harvested until November 3, 2009, allowing almost an entire month for optimizing ripeness. Just as at their Kuhling-Gillot estate, the team of Spanier and his wife Carolin Gillot seek to avoid bottling non-trocken wines, instead blending away any lots that finish with more than 9 grams of residual sugar. Spanier is among the many German Riesling growers who - in his words - are "working in the direction of clarity, freshness, finesse and elegance of expression rather than extract or power" (for which he used the English word). But it's one thing to talk the talk and another to walk the walk - assuming that one is attracted by these stated goals - and in that respect, Spanier is not the only ambitious German grower I have encountered whose ostensibly lesser bottlings (from 2009, anyway) strike me as living up to his stated ideals better than do his Grosse Gewachse. Imported by Domaine Select Wine Estates, New York, NY; tel. (212) 279-0799