From Kogelberg and Dechant – the Heiligenstein component usually present in this cuvee being missing this year – Hiedler’s 2010 Riesling Maximum (when tasted from tank) presents a penetratingly pungent aromatic amalgam of resin, pine needles, apricot, lemon oil, and honey. Opulent and glycerin-rich to an even greater extent than the corresponding Heiligenstein bottling, this, too, generates faint heat which, when added to the bitterness of citrus rind and fruit pit, makes for a slightly less soothing or harmoniously rich finish than the mid-palate impression would have led me to believe. As no decision regarding date of bottling had yet been made when I recorded this note, and further time on the lees could take the wine in any of several directions, I have hedged my bets with the question mark inserted into my point spread. No question this makes a big statement, but I’d also want to see it again before pronouncing on its likely age-ability. Ludwig Hiedler – whose overall account of vintage 2010 can be found leading-off my introduction to this report – notes that “given such a small crop, ripeness wasn’t that bad once you got into October; and we started picking relatively early so as not to risk further crop loss and so as to avoid botrytis. All that was left to pick in November was the Heiligenstein and Maximum Riesling; Weissburgunder and Chardonnay; and the Kittmannsberg (Gruner Veltliner),” that last a good thing, since Hiedler has for years bottled its fruits under the name “November Harvest” (recently shortened to “November”)! Hiedler has taken an increasingly passive and leisurely approach to fermentation and elevage – as described in my introductions to his 2005 and 2006 collections in issues 160 and 177, where further details on the sites he farms will also be found. His wines tend to undergo malo-lactic transformation as a matter of course, not to mention enjoy long lees contact, and thus his approach to ameliorating 2010’s high acidity was already a foregone conclusion.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

This year’s 2004 Riesling Maximum features two-thirds tiny-berried fruit from old vines in the Kogl and the rest from old vines in Heiligenstein. Lightly caramelized peach, peach pit and pungent florals waft from the glass. The palate impression is relatively full-bodied, but the fruit clear and bright. This finishes with enormous thrust, leaving persistent peach pit, toasted nuts, grapefruit zest, crushed stone, and bitter-sweet iris-like florality. For overall cling and concentration, this noses out Hiedler’s Gaisberg and Heiligenstein bottlings, but these thoroughbreds will all doubtless continue to jockey for position. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300