The 2006 Steeger St. Jost Spatlese trocken only finished fermenting late last summer, essentially the day that it was sulfured and that I tasted it, rendering it remarkable that it was so expressive. Pineapple and lemon aromas link to a glossy, rich, yet bright, citrus-oil saturated palate. A refined finish evinces a vivid sense of wet stone slate character that youthful yeastiness cannot obscure. (The corresponding Grosses Gewachs was only finishing fermenting when I last tasted, but was showing well and promising considerable refinement despite its sheer volume. A powerful, tangerine- and walnut oil- scented Bacharacher Wolfshohle Grosses Gewachs was still clouded by yeast both visually and in flavor – even though in principle, as Grosses Gewachs, it would have to have been readied for presentation only a couple of weeks hence. But it turned out to have transcended the legal bounds of legal Trockenheit, and in the end, the Ratzenbergers elected not to force it to ferment further.) Without spraying against botrytis, Jochen Ratzenberger Jr. insists that the proper management of the family’s vines and greening between the rows kept rot at bay, but 30% less than a normal volume was harvested. The Ratzenbergers began picking on Septermber 25 and were done on the 12th of October.Imported by Sussex Wine Merchants, Moorestown, NJ; tel. (856) 608 9644