The 2008 Riesling Spatlese trocken Vom Buntsandstein S – from the Im Sonnenschein, and on whose label “Spatlese” as already taken a back seat small letters, while the letter ‘S’ will remain in larger print – is as lemony bright and brisk in aroma and palate presence as its Kabinett counterpart, but along with its sprinkling of diverse herbs comes a savory salinity and a formidable intensity of inner mouth esters as well as a penetrating finish. What’s more, at only 12% alcohol, it reflects the levity and refreshment that are its vintage’s fortes yet possesses an alluringly silken texture. But we aren’t going to succeed in capturing this character – which is typical 2008 – every year, cautions Rebholz. He then adds (echoing many growers in numerous countries) that one of the reasons I moved to biodynamics in 2005 was in the hope of achieving a different sort of ripening, perhaps an earlier ripening, and braking the accumulation of sugar. I would tentatively plan to enjoy this S over the next 4-6 years. Hansjorg Rebholz notes that the foliage was already disappearing from his vines by the time he began harvesting in earnest the third week of October, yet he picked for a full month. “It was a year of really variable ripeness,” he elaborates. “Sylvaner, Muskateller, and Weissburgunder simply stood still, absolutely nothing moved in the analyses! So I ended up harvesting them as late as Riesling. And despite this late harvest, we had low alcohol and high acidity.” And even after the experience of 2007, Rebholz asserts of its successor that “we had a hang time such as we’ve practically never experienced,” and about which he offered further insights that can be found in my general introduction to this report. Rebholz is introducing some new large casks and intends to experiment cautiously as they mature with employing them for his top Rieslings. “This year’s Grosse Gewachse would have been creamier, more rounded, more open” had they been in cask, Rebholz maintains, “but they would no longer have had such mineral precision. I think in the end one should probably have both stainless steel and wood to play with.” Incidentally, “Spatlese” will shortly be phased out on the labels here – save for those of the rare residually sweet wine – in favor of the ambiguous and, it seems, soon ubiquitous capital “S.” “I’d like to use an ‘L’ for light,” says Rebholz, “but then only on wines that are truly light. The trouble with ‘Kabinett’ is that it was corrupted by use for wines of 13% alcohol and even more, and became simply a price category.” (For further comments on Rebholz and his wines, readers are urged to consult my account in issue 185, in the introduction to which I also reiterate my criticism of the way in which winery-internal codes and nomenclature are proliferating; although, that noted, I very much agree with Rebholz’s point about “Kabinett.”)Importer: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. (800) 596-9463