With scents of fresh lime and tangerine, the Mochel 2005 Riesling Altenberg de Bergbieten sets the tone for its bright, juicy, elegant personality, as revealed on a surprisingly delicate palate and a finish that both refreshes in its primary juiciness and clings with a potently pungent combination of wood smoke, chalk dust and tangerine zest.Frederic and son Guillaume Mochel clearly work as an excellent team, farming almost exclusively acreage in the steep chalky slopes of Bergbieten’s Altenberg, but bottling only their top cuvees as vineyard-designated “Grand Crus.”A Thomas Calder Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29.

Mochel’s 2004 Riesling Altenberg de Bergbieten displays a lovely nose of apricot, honey and kumquat. A mouthful of nectarine and apricot tinged with orange peel and honey is richer in cast than its 2005 counterpart but in no way lacking in chalky mineral character typical of the site nor the citricity needed to make for a lip-smacking finish. Frederic and son Guillaume Mochel clearly work as an excellent team, farming almost exclusively acreage in the steep chalky slopes of Bergbieten’s Altenberg, but bottling only their top cuvees as vineyard-designated “Grand Crus.”A Thomas Calder Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29.