As its origins in Pettenthal and Oelberg would suggest, Gillot’s 2008 Niersteiner Riesling trocken is far finer, richer, and more interesting than her somewhat simply lemony generic bottling. Wood smoke and lemon zest contrast with a doughy texture and almost over-ripe flavors of peach and yellow plum. Faintly bitter toasted nuttiness and citrus peel help extend the finish. This boasts serious energy and intensity, and should be even better once if calms down and harmonizes a bit more in bottle. I wouldn’t hesitate to plan following it for half a dozen years. 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