The Leitz 2009 Rudesheimer Riesling trocken – once again, effectively a second wine of the Rudesheimer Berg Rottland and significantly endowed by fruit from the ancient terraces of the geologically distinct, once-renowned, Hinterhaus vineyard – offers salt- and spruce resin-tinged ripe peach in a pungently aromatic and sappy palate display. Clear, juicy, and persuasively persistent if a bit spare in finish, this automatically invites the next sip, and may well reveal more richness with some time in bottle. I would not hesitate to follow it for 3-4 years. ”Yes it was dry,” says Johannes Leitz about the late summer and early autumn of 2009, “but drought stress? Who said anything about drought stress?” Evidently he either has a different definition for that condition or had different experiences from some of his colleagues, but I let the matter drop, and the quality of the wines here speaks eloquently both to Leitzs belief that nature delivered an almost ideal combination this year of near over-watering followed by dry heat (which he called “the parachute that saved us from a crash landing”), and to his success in what for others was a manifestly challenging season on the Rudesheimer Berg. Leitzs team began picking October 6 and continued for almost exactly one month. Incidentally, after working for nearly two decades from an expansion of his original cellar under the family home in suburban Rudesheim, Leitz will soon have completed a large new facility nearby.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300