After having bottled reserve Spatlesen in 1990, 1998, and 2001, Philippi has now bottled two back-to-back with his 2007 and now 2008 Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Spatlese trocken R, which he intends to sell in 2012. Chenin-like fresh quince, heliotrope, rowan, and high-toned herbal distillates waft irresistibly from the glass. This is brighter, more penetrating, and above all more transparent than the corresponding “regular” Spatlese trocken, offering vistas of scintillating florality and shimmering, crystalline minerality. Of course, it wouldn’t be authentic Philippi Saumagen reserve if there weren’t some decidedly wacky elements, such as in this instance the aura of fresh, seeded rye bread, and a sort of sourdough, saline, caraway, and fruit pit amalgam that positively sticks to the gums. This amazing wine should be worth following for at least a dozen years. Incidentally, Philippi told the follow story about his inaugural “R” Spatlese of 1990: There were 2,500 bottles. By the time I got around to selling any, 1,000 of them had already been drunk up. I sold 1,000. The remaining 500 are still here. For comments on the recent sale of this estate (the most important of which is Bernd Philippi’s insistence that “nothing will change”) and on other developments here, see my report in issue 185. The choice of Pradikat-designation (or of “Reserve” status) for his many dry Rieslings from the large Saumagen site, explains Philippi, was once again this year – as in many others – based on an assessment of phenolic ripeness (clues: are the grapes greener or deeper gold; how big and how numerous are they?) and ultimately on style, concentration, and perceived aging potential, rather than on must weight, since sugar levels in the grapes were relatively uniform. Philippi acquired the major vineyard holdings of his friend Walter Henninger – notably in the chalky Annaberg – after that estate was recently dissolved, so while he had been farming these parcels and making the wines for many years under Henninger’s label, beginning in 2008 they became Koehler Rupprecht wines.A new U.S. importer had not yet been selected as of press time.