Weingut Carl Loewen Leiwener Klostergarten Riesling Eiswein, Mosel, Germany

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Harvested the day after his Auslese and in his usual frost pocket, Loewen’s 2008 Leiwener Klostergarten Riesling Eiswein smells sharply of fresh lemon and lemon zest, honey and yellow plum preserves, all of which inform a palate both viscous and severely bright, the intensity of frost-concentrated acids in conjunction with botrytis here translating into pungent prickling and considerable back-end drying. Bitterly herbal, minty, and resinous notes add to the aggressive impact. This is impressive in its way, but not a way I would choose to go. I can at least agree with Loewen that it would not have been good to let these grapes hang on into January! Karl-Josef Loewen associates the measurably high dry extracts of his 2008s with their ability to buffer high acids but also to convey mineral characteristics. He was pleased to point out that not one of his dry wines reached 12% alcohol this vintage, and only partly on account of that vintage itself. Especially with his oldest vines, pruning for multiple short canes and de-leafing at critical junctures are among the techniques being employed to diminish the accretion of sugar and maximize flavor. Small berries and clusters are also critical, says Loewen, who does not believe in green harvesting. “The trick,” he opines, “is to make little wine from many bunches, rather than little wine from few bunches.” Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300