The estate 2007 Pinot Noir (labeled solely with the international name for its constituent grape) is much more successful at handling its wood component than was the 2006. Smelling of star anise, lightly-cooked yet tart black fruits, vanilla, black pepper, and tamarind, it boasts a similarly stock-like and marrow-rich underlying sense of meatiness to its “GB” counterpart. Inner-mouth esters and fruit pit bitterness along with a firm feel make this anything but cuddly Pinot, but if you want some brightness and refreshment from your red, along with a highly savory, saline, stony as well as black-fruited finish, then this will thrill you, and should be worth following – as well as add complexity – for at least half a dozen years. There will be a “B” – reserve – bottling of Pinot from 2007, to be released later in 2010. At more than 9,000 man hours including the time spent on intensive selection, Heinrich Breuer says this was one of the most labor-intensive and expensive harvests in the estate’s history. “We have 80 parcels in Rudesheim and are very conscientious about checking each one every couple of days to make sure the acidity doesn’t drop too low, to check the must weights, and to deal with any issues that might arise. We were in fact happy to have gotten around a half a gram more acidity at harvest than in the 2007s,” continues Breuer, who says it was really the phenolics and not the quality of acids or levels of sugar that changed while they picked in the course of October. Reports have reached me of the extent to which the top 2008 vintage Rieslings here are said to have became more harmonious and complex in the course of last autumn, so I may well have underestimated them based on my September tastings. But I was already totally disarmed and amazed by the quality of the several best nobly sweet wines, coming as they do from an estate that treats that genre very much as an afterthought (or, more accurately, as a part of pre-harvest provided noble rot is already there) and from a vintage in which so few such wines were essayed nation-wide.Importer: Classical Wines, Seattle WA; tel. (206) 547-0255

The 2005 Pinot Noir from estate fruit (in the Schlossberg and higher elevations of Drachenstein) and matured in barrique, offers salty, smoky overtones to its red fruits. The presence of wood is more discreet than in previous vintages, and peat and forest floor notes add interest to the finish, although for charm and balance you can’t beat the “G.B.” (Despite some impressive flavors, the 2004 version of their “B” Pinot Noir bottling – entirely from the Rudesheimer Berg – was dried out from its 30 months in barrique.)Imported by Classical Wines, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 547-0255