The Josts’ 2009 Riesling trocken Alte Reben represents wine that would formerly have been bottled as Wallufer Walkenberg Spatlese trocken, but they wish now to highlight a limited Grosses Gewachs bottling from this site – although in the end they elected not to from 2009 – and VDP-Rheingau regulation (comparable to those in several other regions, too) decrees that there be no other legally trocken wine in their line-up that bears the name of the same site. With low-toned, tobacco- and smoke-tinged pit fruit flavors, this full-bodied Riesling bears a strong resemblance to its generic counterpart, but its sense of fruit skin chew and strongly saline finishing savor serves for a certain invigoration, even if there is also faint heat. For an account of some recent developments at this estate, please consult my report in issue 187. Interestingly, it was the wines from their Rheingau vineyards that suffered especially from sheer ripeness and consequent high alcohol; whereas the Josts’ best 2009s from their near-monopole Hahn escaped such difficulties and performed well indeed. Incidentally, every wine of the Josts’ save for their Grosse Gewachse – and that includes their two Pinots (which I don’t usually taste) – is now closed with screwcap, and they are among several growers I spoke with who intend to bottle their Grosse Gewachse with screwcap as well, as soon as the relevant bottles are available with the embossed Arabic numeral “1” and stylized grape cluster that identifies this category.Bill Mayer Age of Riesling Selections, Imported by Valley View Wine Sales, Glen Ellen, CA; tel. (510) 549 2444; also imported by Dee Vine Wines, San Francisco, CA tel. (877) 389-9463