From one small parcel of old vines – resulting in a mere 1,500 bottles, well less than half the volume of Wittmann’s next-scarcest Grosses Gewachs – Wittmann’s 2009 Westhofener Brunnenhauschen Riesling Grosses Gewachs appears to once again reflect that site’s breezy, high-elevation, late-ripening location in its admirable combination of metaphoric coolness and refreshing, luscious, interactive elegance. Subtle suggestions of herbal extracts; white peach; lime and grapefruit; tart rhubarb and raw almond, all inform an infectiously juicy and glossy-textured palate, with faintly bitter notes of apple pip and citrus rind effortlessly integrated and consequently serving only to supply counterpoint and enhance the wine’s bright, invigorating finishing sense. I suspect this will remain eloquent for at least a decade. “The fruit was picture perfect,” says Philipp Wittmann of his 2009 crop in general, and he managed to capture ripe, complex flavors largely without the alcoholic interference or austerity that have sometimes led me to express reservations about the widely-lauded Rieslings of this articulate, conscientious young biodynamic practitioner. Wittmann characterized his harvest as having occupied “the last half of October, followed by a week of playing around (‘Spielerei’)” that focused on a few cooler sites. His approach was to see to it that the wines fermented quickly so as to avoid any bacteriological issues such as inadvertent malo-lactic transformation, but thereafter to give the young wines extended stays on their fine lees. Importer: Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700

Full bodied, multidimensional and powerful, this dry white packs in peach, nectarine and spice flavors. It's all balanced in an oversized way, with a lingering aftertaste of orchard fruit and mineral. Drink now through 2022. 152 cases made.??–BS??Region: Germany / Rheinhessen Select to Add