While – as can be tasted – quality did not suffer from the hail that hit Oppenheim this year, quantity did. Now that Gillot has additional acreage on the famed Red Slope, there will be more of her village-level 2011 Niersteiner Riesling trocken and its successors. White peach, yellow plum and smoked meat in the nose segue into an expansive, full palate whose smoky persistence certainly preserves a sense of ripe fruit, though not the same primary juiciness or mineral refinement as was found in the corresponding Oppenheimer. Gillot thinks the character of a Nierstein Riesling is inherently slower to display itself. As they have done on a few previous occasions with this or other bottlings, the estate has held aside half of this wine’s production to sell – especially to restaurateurs – in five or six years. I’d be inclined to await the re-release myself. Carolin Gillot has expanded her acreage in Nierstein, and given what seems to be a dearth of growers from that village who are really on top of their game (Strub very much excepted), Riesling lovers must be grateful that some of Germany’s elite vintners who are based nearby (or, in Keller’s case, not all that nearby) have been taking custody of vineyards on the famous Red Slope, where increasingly many of the traditional landholders have in recent years sold their estates and small growers have shown themselves willing to lease after witnessing the meticulous work of a Gillot with neighboring vines. (Such willingness cannot, sadly, be presumed in the world of European wine. On the contrary, it seems more common for small landholders to resist leasing to outsiders out of misplaced communal pride.) This year’s Gillot Grosse Gewachse finished analytically extremely dry, and remained on their full lees until three days before June bottling. The result is an enhancement of fullness and stuffing, though happily at around 13.5% alcohol they evince no significant heat. (Why Gillot neglected to show me her Nackenheimer Rothenberg Grosses Gewachs, though, I can’t explain, and am remiss for having not redressed that omission.)Imported by Domaine Select Wine Estates, New York, NY; tel. (212) 279-0799