Issuing from vines in the Niersteiner Orbel (as usual) and Oelberg (where Wittmann’s vine surface expanded this vintage, and again in 2018), this bottling deliciously reflects Wittmann’s goal of achieving “Niersteiner with buoyancy and delicacy [Schwung und Feinheit],” which in this case involved picking in mid-September. Bittersweet scents of iris and gentian linger alluringly inner-mouth, complementing both the succulent white peach fruit and the wine’s silken texture and surprising levity. Analogous to the impression conveyed by Wittmann’s Westhofen Rieslings, the superbly sustained, generously juicy finish of this Niersteiner is transparent to myriad mineral and herbal nuances, here tending toward crushed stone, peat and smoky black tea. With his enhanced Nierstein acreage, Wittmann will begin offering a generic “Vom Rotliegenden” bottling as well as a village-designated Niersteiner. But I really think considerations of quality should convince him to begin bottling vineyard-designated Nierstein Riesling!