Weingut Josef Leitz Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg Riesling Spatlese, Rheingau, Germany

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In his continuing effort to reinforce or accentuate inherent vineyard character, Leitz choose for his 2007 Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg Riesling Spatlese the botrytis-affected bunches that had been removed for dry Schlossberg, and allowed the crushed fruit some skin contact, with vinous results that could not be more dramatically different than those he achieved with this year's Berg Roseneck Spatlese. Yellow plum, sweet corn, and lemon zest mingle with brine and both a Nierstein-like note of smoked meat and a Chablis-like suggestion of shellfish stock in the nose, as well as on a palate of brightness, honeyed slickness of texture, and sappy cling. This might even be vibratory and invigorating enough to shake you out of the trance into which the Berg Roseneck put you! The gripping experience from this bottle should not disappoint over the next couple of decades. Leitz began picking already on September 20, a day earlier than in 2006, but he is the first to admit that after the penury of its predecessor, the higher yields of vintage 2007 were welcome, and to admit as well, that top quality was achieved at the high-volume end of his portfolio only thanks to the aberently long ripening season. (For notes on Leitz's least-expensive, highest-volume, and highly-successful 2007 wines, consult issue 178.) -We were the first to pick and the last, too,- he insists. -I place great importance on that. As far as I'm concerned it's a great reward of global warming that we don't have to wait, like we used to, until October 10 to start harvesting, knowing that you probably had to get finished within 20 days. The climate has helped us to be able to play with the dates of picking- for any given parcel or to essay any given style. Speaking of style, Leitz was phenomenally successful this year in both dry and sweet formats, but essayed just two nobly sweet wines. The fate of an Auslese from the Berg Roseneck with which he expressed dissatisfaction had not yet been determined when I last visited, and a December 6 -Nikolauswein- from the Klosterlay (-we were planning to make Eiswein but lost our nerve,- comments Leitz) was still fermenting.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300