The von Hovel 2006 Oberemmeler Hutte Riesling Auslese A.P. #8 – picked out from the estate’s older parcels – adds considerable spiciness to the virtues offered by the preceding wines in this collection, but without displaying aggressive pungency. Quince preserves and pear cider inform the nose and a creamy rich yet ravishingly delicate and crystal-clear palate, registering subtle wet stone notes as well as abundant brown spices that follow into the finish. While I hesitate to revive memories of what was in large part a vintage happily forgotten, there is a sense of fragility, wafting, decadent floral perfume, and almost miraculous delicacy about this wine that remind me of the few genuinely nobly sweet Rieslings that came through the rains of 2000. Figure this – while it is nearly irresistible now – to be a 12-15 year keeper, but monitor its evolution. Ebernard von Kunow’s outstanding 2005 collection gave promise of a return to the quality that made this estate a leader for most of the last quarter century, and – in the context of a challenging vintage – his 2006s were reassuring on that score. Patient settling of the musts and selective bentonite fining were von Kunow’s non-aggressive tools for dealing with the negative side of botrytis one of the most rigorous triages that time permitted had taken place in the vineyards. Rapid harvest, low yields and a frank desire to simplify things a bit, have resulted in fewer individual bottlings than one generally associates with this address.Importer: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. (800) 596-9463