White peach, wood smoke, and lemon oil on the nose of the Kuhling-Gillot 2008 Niersteiner Pettenthal Riesling Grosses Gewachs leads to a palate exhibiting the lift and refreshment of which this vintage is singularly capable, along with a dynamic sense of interplay of fruit, smoke, and alkaline, saline mineral savor that lend the finish an irresistible length. This should be worth following for at least 8-10 years, but one simply has to see, because only a very short track record exists at this address for wines of such quality. Carolin Gillot – for more about whose estate see my report in issue 185 – professes the importance of spontaneous fermentations to retain refinement in her relatively warm sites as well as – in the ideal case – to render less efficient the conversion of sugar to alcohol. As a measure of Gillot’s recent commercial success and excellent press within Germany, not a single bottle of her village-level Riesling from Oppenheim could be found for me to taste – which was last September – and she reported that the last large order had had to be shorted. Given the quality of this latest collection, things are unlikely to get better in regard to the demand-supply ratio!Importer: Domaine Select Wine Estates, New York, NY; tel. (212) 279-0799

Smoky and diesel-scented, with bold baked apple and pear flavors and a dash of cinnamon. This is a big, impressively endowed Riesling that features just a touch of sweetness, balanced by dry spices on the finish.——J.C.(12/1/2011)—— 90