I have followed with fascination the evolution of Diel’s Chardonnay-Pinot Noir blend 2004 Cuvee MO Brut Nature since soon after its base wines were committed to barrel, because their expressions of fruit and mineral were exceedingly complex and reminiscent of the best sort of Champenoise raw material. I tasted an impromptu disgorgement in 2008, but now the wine is on the market (in Germany, anyway) and I tasted it last year after 42 months sur latte. (This disgorgement consisted of 2,200 bottles, with 400 set aside for later.) There is a wonderful balance between the nutty, smoky piquancy and creamy richness of texture conveyed by long lees evolution, and the hints of bittersweet floral perfume; juicy, primary citrus and pit fruits; as well as myriad mineral nuances that have been preserved from the inception of the base wines. The result is a dynamic interaction and savory finish of engrossing fascination; lip-smacking invigoration; and inevitable versatility at table. It would be a shame to serve it simply before dinner. Along with the “Pi No” cuvee of Rebholz (also reviewed in this report) here is the finest sparkler from Germany in my experience, and I would not be surprised if it held up well to a few years’ post-disgorgement cellaring. Caroline Diel is taking the reins at her family’s estate, and results in 2008 are as impressive as one would have expected given the track record at this address. The team here did not start harvesting until the third week in October and picked for nearly a month, due to which lateness the measurable acid levels (which were not adjusted) were relatively low by vintage standards, but the impression of acidity was more than vivacious and efficacious enough. On a quest for purity and authenticity, the Diels did not include in their bench trials for the blending of Grosse Gewachse any small lots of off-dry wine such as might in past have been employed expressly to fine-tune the finished levels of residual sugar. Instead, they let the blends all remain quite dry. Armin Diel has for at least the past dozen years championed and cherished the Mosel stylistic ideals of delicacy and of high residual sugar balanced against acidity. His choices of Mosel-born cellar master Martin Franzen (now of Muller-Catoir), and more recently of Moselaner Christoph Friedrich, testify to this proclivity. But there has never been a better vintage in which to give these ideals fluid realization. So if you are a lover of Kabinetts and Spatlesen from the likes of Joh. Jos. Prum, Willi Schaefer, or the Haags, do not miss the show Caroline and Armin Diel have put on this year, and that could be playing in your cellar any night over the next two decades! Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300