The 2007 Riesling Rothenbart leads with lovely, pungent, site-typical suggestions of flowers, kumquat and orange zest, all of which reprise in a long, lip-smacking finish. A faintly green pungency suggestive of oregano hangs over this, appropriate to a wine of refreshment, cool restraint in ripeness, yet stimulating intensity of flavor. This should be especially interesting to follow and to experiment with, but I suspect this should be done within the next 2-3 years. On account of the hot, dry July, Neumayer says he only did one spraying against mildew and almost no manicuring of the foliage. He picked well into October, since he did not find he was risking such high potential alcohol as his 2006s had reached already in the early days of that month. These wines have what he calls the “cracking” of acidity that invigorates and refreshes. (Note that because of a change in importers at the beginning of this year, prices on these wines were not yet available to me, and the wines themselves will only begin arriving later in the year. Readers should consult my reviews of the 2006s in issue 177 for a ballpark idea of eventual retail prices.) The wines of this years’ Riesling collection chez Neumayer were all very slow to ferment and ended up completely dry at the upper twelve’s in alcohol.Importer: Winemonger, Los Angeles, CA; www.winemonger.com

Pale green-yellow. White peach, apple blossom, lichee, wet rock and discreet lime zest on the nose and in the mouth. Very taut and tightly knit, with a sharply delineated spine of acidity giving this powerful wine an almost slender impression. This very appetizing and eminently ageworthy wine finishes with persistent lemon and mineral notes. Drink 2010 to 2022.