Leitz Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg Alte Reben Riesling, Rheingau, Germany

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The 2009 Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg Riesling Alte Reben is the brightest in acidity and at the same time pithiest in its mineral expression of Leitzs top dry wines of its vintage. Scents of iris and crushed stone anticipate a palate that is also informed by toasted nuts, pungent herbs, apricot, grapefruit, and tangerine. Yet for all of the citricity and vivacity expressed in this wines focused finish, it also displays an imposing sense of amplitude. I would look for at least a decade of delicious intrigue. ”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

Fresh yellow plum, white peach, Persian melon, and a flint-like combination of smoke and stone marks the nose of Leitz’s 2008 Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg Riesling Alte Reben. On its silken-textured palate, a wealth of cooling herbal nuances rush to greet the pit fruits, and suggestions of smoky black tea, fruit pit bitterness, and nut oils add complex allure. The sensation of mineral suffusion persists into a memorably long, luscious, and refreshing finish. This is impeccably balanced, and I would have guessed its alcohol to have been less than the actual 12.5%. I think the track record – based on wines of the early ‘90s that were not nearly this impeccably-grown or vinified – gives one some confidence that this will be worth following for 12-15 years. As intimated in my introduction to this report, 2008 was – to now borrow Johannes Leitz’s phrase – a year for Rudesheim, in which these steep, notoriously optimal (but, of late frequently hyper-effective) Riesling-ripening slopes could show their stuff. We starting picking on October 6, relates Leitz, and we genuinely harvested through until November 20. Genuinely harvested. There are a lot of growers who because they left one wine hanging and then harvested it on, say, November 15 will tell you that they harvested until November 15. We were at it nearly the whole time. A majority of Leitz’s production continues to consist of wines from contract fruit that are exported, mostly to the U.S. I have been praising the superb value offered by this range of bottlings ever since – in their fifth vintage – the sensational bottled fruits of Leitz’s young vines in the Rudesheimer Drachenstein were re-christened as Dragonstone Riesling. Within a few years, Leitz had an established brand that required him to contract for increasing amounts of fruit, which continued over the years until now a significant share of the Drachenstein’s extensive acreage feeds his pipeline. Importer:Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel (516) 677-9300