Now chairman of the Bernkasteler Ring growers’ association, Kerpen was an early advocate of their rendering wines that borrowed the “uber-Pradikat” devised by the VDP, and while his 2009 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Grosses Gewachs harbors 11 grams of residual sugar, his organization has decided – in my view regrettably –to conform after this vintage to VDP requirement that “Grosses Gewachs” be legally trocken. The present instance combines stuffing and creaminess of texture with the sense of juiciness, interplay, and lift that prevailed with this year’s “regular” Sonnenuhr Spatlese trocken. (The high quotient of fine particulate matter in the old vines parcel where this originates seems to have promoted more acid retention.) Apple, pineapple, nut paste, and musky, wafting floral perfume pervade this wine of sap and energy that I imagine will be worth following for the better part of a decade. With this bottling – unlike others of his 2009 vintage “trocken”s – Kerpen has achieved a notably more refined dry result than he did last year. Martin Kerpen’s 2009 collection Rieslings possess uncommon brightness for their vintage, and he continues to excel across a blessedly broad stylistic range, from legally trocken through nobly sweet – and, more importantly, with plenty of successful stops in-between. It’s worth noting that Kerpen is especially keen on the quality of his nobly sweet 2009s – wines that are certainly close to off-the-charts on paper – although as readers can see, my praise for them is more selective.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300