Weingut Karlsmuhle Lorenzhofer Riesling Eiswein, Mosel, Germany

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While Peter Geiben said he thought there was enough Auslese currently available from his estate without trying to make the extra effort to harvest one in 2008, a 2008 Lorenzhofer Riesling Eiswein reflects his having succumbed to the siren song of another category for which he has over the past two decades become well known. This December 29 picking was clearly no longer of completely healthy fruit, and Geiben – who wraps his intended Eiswein fruit in plastic film – has always insisted that the widespread belief Eiswein should be from botrytis-free grapes is wrongheaded. Scents of gardenia, quince and apricot preserves, and caramel lead into a smoothly-polished and not at all aggressive palate with honey and caramel elements of botrytis and a faint prickle of Eiswein typical lemon rind and pit fruit distillates. Nut oils, fruit preserves, marzipan, caramel, malt and brown spices inform a long and for the genre surprisingly low-toned and gentle finish that carries considerable superficial sweetness but also reflects vintage-typical buoyancy. It will be interesting to follow this, but I would not assume that it will be worth cellaring for more than a decade, and one might well want to try pairing it with deserts already in its youth.Peter Geiben’s 2008 results were irregular, with some wines too aggressive in their parsnip-like herbal pungency and too opaque as opposed to transparent to count as ideal representations of this estate and its vineyards, while others were distinguished. Geiben says he had bought the requisite preparations and was all set in December to de-acidify some of his young wines, “but then I tasted again in January, and I thought: ‘where’d all that sourness go?’ In the end, I only de-acidified two or three wines.” The main reason for this transformation was simply tartrate precipitation, Geiben opines. Only in March or April though, he insists – echoing many other growers this year – did the wines start to show their positive side. Incidentally, this year all of the wines here fermented spontaneously, and a number of them show it in yeasty, fermentative overlay that needs time to dissipate.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

The 2007 Lorenzhofer Riesling Eiswein is penetratingly ester-rich in the nose, mingling red currant jelly, dried distilled apricot, candied lemon, a pure, honeyed note of botrytis as well as a sharp nip of frost. Dried apricot and a rather thick texture contrast with salt and lemon for a somewhat sweet-sour palate impression, and a resin-like note fits this wine's slightly sticky yet sharp persistence. How this concentrated, quasi-blend of B.A. and Eiswein will age, I am hesitant to predict, but I suspect it would not be prudent to leave it for too many years without re-examination. Peter Geiben began picking already October 4th, but did not finish until the 25th. Results were a bit disappointing at the dry end of the spectrum, (a deficiency redressed by his 2008s, incidentally), and more impressive where significant residual sugar came into play.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel (516) 677-9300

A pungent, fungal, funky, tooth-jarringly acidic “l(fā)ong gold capsule” A.P. #15, harvested December 21, was raucous and inharmonious on the occasion I visited. Apparently, however, the ice demons were thereby exorcized, because the next day the estate harvested an angelic 2004 Lorenzhofer Riesling Eiswein, which smells of pear nectar, lemon oil, and radish. It presents a lemon meringue-like palate impression, with cinnamon-tinged honey and quince jelly adjuncts, and finishes with ravishing refinement, and amazing lightness and lift. This exceptionally pure Eiswein might not be the last word in complexity, but that may well come with time. How much time? I’d revisit it in ten or a dozen years to more adequately answer that question. An Eiswein was also harvested in the Kaseler Nies’chen but Geiben did not give me an opportunity to taste it.Note that proprietor Peter Geiben has begun to put his family name in large letters on at least some of his bottlings, and his wines from the holdings that he took over from the neighboring Patheiger estate are still labeled “Patheiger”. Add to this his proclivity for labeling certain of his wines with the names of individual vineyards, his looseness in the use of “gold” and “l(fā)ong gold capsule”, and his attempts to do away with distinctions of “Pradikat” on most of his dry wines, and you have a recipe for potential confusion of which consumers should be aware. But by no means allow yourself to be deterred, because this estate is rather routinely bottling some very fine wines.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300.

The product of a December 12th harvest, the candied lemon, jellied red cherry, and powerful mineral-scented 2003 Riesling Eiswein Lorenzhofer is light to medium-bodied and sports a satiny texture. Black cherries intermingled with notes of botrytis can be discerned in its bright, expressive character. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2020. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300