That said, the dry 2006 from this site was not finished fermenting when I last visited, whereas he had elected to bottle a sweet 2006 Riesling Schimbock that is in effect a Spatlese. Ester-rich, honeyed aromas signify advanced ripeness and noble rot, although in fact an Auslese was pulled out before this wine was harvested. Abundant fresh pear and grilled pineapple inform a full, firm, dense palate with a slick as if of oily botrytis secretions as well as glycerin. The finishing effect is not at all superficially sweet despite 100 grams of residual sugar, and displays a distinct and welcome sense of slate minerality. It will probably show best from about 5-7 years on, but it is only the second time such a wine has been bottled so there is no track record to go by. “We started picking immediately after the October 3rd rain, and then under high pressure,” relates Daniel Vollenweider. Already then, there was little to be harvested below Auslese, not surprising considering the general trends this vintage and the fact that Vollenweider, as a friend to botryits in normal times, never sprays to keep it at bay. But in a departure from the norm, one cask had reached ten grams of residual sugar by the end of last summer and Vollenweider decided he might as well taste what a truly dry Wolfer Goldgrube Spatlese would be like! (I have not connected with the bottled wine.) A second major vineyard reclamation project in the Schimbock – a once-renowed riverside parcel within today’s Trabener Wurzgarten – is where Vollenweider intends to specialize in dry Riesling.Importer: Vineyard Research, Inc., Lunenburg, MA tel. 617 686 8052; Ewald Moseler Selections, Portland OR tel. 888 274 4312; also A Bill Mayer Age of Riesling Selection Imported by Valley View Wine Sales, Glen Ellen, CA; tel. (510) 549-2444