You might well think, “If his Halenberg Riesling trocken is really as good as Schildknecht maintains, then how much better can Schonleber’s 2007 Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Grosses Gewachs be?” Well, as a matter of fact, in instances (which used to be more frequent) where there is both a Grosses Gewachs and a non-Grosses Gewachs (a.k.a. Spatlese trocken) rendition of the same site, I have often found the former to be less well-balanced and sometimes insidiously influenced by by German vintners’ “we too” minority complex and corresponding attempts to make a Big Statement . In the present instance, though, such is hardly the case. Pungent, bitter-sweet intensity and an oily, creamy texture point to wine more concentrated, richer, and higher in alcohol, but one that preserves lively interplay of flavors, elegance, and sheer refreshment. Freesia, apricot, blood orange, grapefruit, and red currant rise from the glass. Apricot kernel, red currant, and citrus inform a lushly-textured, enveloping, yet still invigorating palate, with subtle suggestions of sweet fruit and floral perfume, accompanied by obvious saline, stony, and crustacean notes and piquant toasted nuttiness that carry into a superbly long finish. In the final analysis, this is still less charming than the regular Halenberg, but undeniably more complex. It would be fascinating to compare their evolution over the coming decade (or longer), and anyone who can afford this Grosses Gewachs should try to pick up some bottles of its ostensibly lesser sibling as well. To say that Werner and son Frank Schonleber have been on a roll lately must count as an understatement (and that applies to 2008, too). Two heads are better than one, no doubt, plus the advantages of accumulated wisdom and acreage – the family is filling-in what was once a decidedly, in places depressingly patchy landscape by buying up prime parcels from retiring vintners – are obvious. The Schonlebers went over their vineyards in early October to pull out some botrytis that had already accumulated and to thin their crop, and began seriously harvesting Riesling after the 10th. The estate’s vines were largely spared savage but capricious hail that rained down on parts of the Fruhlingsplatzchen. Werner Schonleber draws a stylistic comparison with the 2002 vintage, which he convincingly demonstrated with several bottles.Imported by Sussex Wine Merchants, Moorestown, NJ; tel. (856) 608 9644; also imported by Dee Vine Wines, San Francisco, CA tel. (877) 389- 9463