Available only in 500ml bottles, the 1996 Riesling Schoenenbourg Vendanges Tardives offers a nose of liquid minerals immersed in spices and pears. Light to medium-bodied, this wine combines searing acidity with rich, dense layers of candied lemons and pears. This is not a dessert wine-styled VT and does not have the sweet, thick personality many readers may expect from this class of Alsatian wine. Rather, this is a highly focused, well-balanced, and deep wine with an intense, laser like character. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2014. For years, The Wine Advocate has been clamoring for readers to take advantage of Alsace's fine values in white wine. It often appears that our words fall on deaf ears, yet Bernard Sparr, this firm's export director, informs me that his US sales have gone from 9,000 cases in 1998 to 25,000 in 2001. As other Alsatian estates also report significant growth in US sales, it would appear that our entreaties, and those of several colleagues, are being heard.Importer: William Deutsch and Sons, White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-9463