Classic lime and cherry along with a greenhouse-like sensation of diverse foliage emanate from the glass of Zilliken’s generic 2007 Riesling trocken, which I tasted in its liter-sized, screw-cap bottling. Citrus and pit fruits with subtle bitterness of their pits as well as an underlying impression of wet stone make for a palpably dense yet lively and buoyant palate impression and a satisfying finishing cling. This should remain delightful for at least the next 3-4 years, not that it is intended for cellaring. It might seem hard to believe that Hanno Zilliken could once again out-performed a vintage in the way that he did 2005 and 2006. But his having designated an unprecedented four different wines of the 2007 vintage as auction offerings certainly speaks to his confidence – well-founded, I would say – in the quality of this collection’s top end. The vintage’s “Riesling Butterfly” – stemming largely from Saarburg’s Antoniousbrunnen and Bergschlosschen vineyards (behind the Rausch, and overlooking a tiny Saar tributary) and in only small measure from the Rausch and Bockstein – was reviewed in issue 184 and remains lovely, if at present less generous than there-described. No off-dry generic estate Riesling was bottled this vintage, and with 2008 Zilliken will be seen to have made other changes in the lower half of his price list.Importer: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA 800 596 9463