A tiny amount of Riesling T.B.A. was still fermenting last autumn, but the Eymaels’ November 18-harvested 2008 Ungsteiner Herrenberg Scheurebe Trockenbeerenauslese is already wine – and what a wine! The buttery texture of the corresponding B.A. (picked the same day) is here accentuated, and strong honeyed and caramelized streaks adding to the sage oil and mint concentrate, marmalade, and pit fruit preserves also familiar from this wine’s twin. Subtle yeastiness, vanilla, and nut paste accentuates the confectionary, butter-cream aspects of this elixir, while a sense of near weightlessness belies its textural richness and sheer viscosity. It should be worth following for at least 30 years. We intended to harvest only a Scheurebe B.A., relates Jan Eymael, but the blades of the pruning sheers stuck together when one of our crew tried to cut these grapes, which is how he is always able to tell when we are going to be able to make T.B.A.It threatened to become another 2006, said Jan Eymael of the mid-September, 2008 rain, but even in the warmest parts of the Pfalz the weather stayed relatively cool, and he did not pick the first Rieslings until September 30, then continuing off and on for three weeks. The later it got, the better the grapes became, comments Eymael. Another month on the vine allowed for the November 18 picking of two magnificent nobly sweet Scheureben.Importer: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. (800) 596-9463