The “one-star” 2007 Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Auslese exhibits remarkable purity and delicacy, from its Platonic apple and diversely floral and high-toned herbal aromatics; through a creamy, vanilla-tinged, yet refreshing and almost levitating palate underlain by nut oils; to a refined, soaring finish in which salted caramel, nut paste, and honey harmoniously coexist with cooling herbal essences. Subtle wet stone, salt, and smoke inflections are clearly detectable in the finish as well. This will be worth following for three or more decades. The Selbach crew did some pre-selection at the end of September, leading directly into a main harvest that lasted until November 10. Johannes Selbach says he often had to find things to keep his crew occupied while waiting for what he judged the optimum moments to pick. After having been through 2006, he was determined to have everything and everybody ready should circumstances suddenly dictate haste, which of course they never did. Selbach was delighted – as a self-proclaimed defender of “true Kabinett” – to have some genuinely light-weight yet intensely-flavored wines this year, and he was the first to acknowledge that not only the prevailing weather but also the abundant crop (even allowing for thinning) helped make ripe-tasting yet relatively low must-weight Riesling possible. He notes that there was relatively little botrytis, and then late. In view of that assessment, I was surprised at the extent to which this year’s Spatlesen evinced evidence of it. As for the dry and nearly-dry wines in this year’s collection, “it’s like a homecoming,” remarks Selbach, “to get back to wines with stuffing but that are sleek, anything but heavy, and inviting of the next sip.”There are a few regional importers of certain Selbach wines, but the majority (and those whose prices are noted above) are Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel (516) 677-9300.

A “one star” 2005 Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Auslese* smells of lime and honey along with a smoky, charred pungency that seems to come in equal measure from botrytis and from Schlossberg terroir. In the mouth the wine is strikingly voluminous, rich and enveloping, featuring baked, caramelized apple. The caramel apple is set spinning by a current of electric juice from an ample stock of citrus and wicks off the honey of botrytis in slick, palate-slathering abundance. The finish is on the one hand overtly honeyed and botrytis-inflected yet on the other brisk and lime-fruited. Some may find this wine – with the soul of a Beerenauslese and the brightness of a Eiswein – disconcertingly exaggerated, or even discordant, but I find it stimulating and amazing. How will it behave when it finally settles down? “For me, 2005 is a singular vintage in my career,” says Johannes Selbach, “in that it is ripe, multi-faceted, and has excellent acidity. You can pick any of the other recent classics – 1975, 1990 ... . Each of the benchmark years is great in its way, however here you have a combination that is fun to drink now, ten years from now, and in thirty years as well. It remains to be seen, but I think 2005 is in another league.” Readers will indeed be hard pressed this year to find another address with this many consistently outstanding wines, and when has there ever been a more diverse and at the same time magnificent array of Auslesen? In their upper reaches, the Selbach 2005s seem – like Zilliken's, but in their own unique way – to chart a trajectory beyond the normal course for their vintage. The harvest here extended from mid-October to mid-November.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

A “one star” 2004 Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Auslese * (A.P. #15) offers mulled cider aromatic notes and a sappy, spicy, apple, and minerally salty palate that again juxtaposes creaminess of texture with peppy acids and distinct slate. A faintly warm but rich finish reveals somewhat coarser manifestations of botrytis and more obvious sweetness than generally evident in this vintage, and a somewhat simpler set of flavors. In the present context, this excellent wine is simply overshadowed by its site mates. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Though its nose is dominated by sulfur, a trait that will disappear within 6 months, the sultry Riesling Auslese Zeltinger Schlossberg* is a sweet, soft, silky-textured wine filled with flavors reminiscent of apples, raspberries, red currants, and poached pears. A powerful underlying minerality comes to the fore in the mid-palate and is extended into this effort’s impressively long finish. Projected maturity: 2008-2019. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Yeast and sulfur dominated the nose of the 2002 Riesling Auslese Zeltinger Schlossberg *, but that trait will blow off with time. On the palate it is pure, satin-textured, plush, and giving. It has impressive depth , loads of linden-laced white fruits, and a long silky finish. Projected maturity: now-2030. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300