A whiff of sassafras hits the nose from Kruger-Rumpf’s 2008 Munsterer Pittersberg Riesling Spatlese, just as it had from the corresponding Scharlachberg, here accompanied by cherry, blood orange, brown spices, vanilla, and nut oils, all of which inform a luscious palate whose underlying sense of wet stone seems to act as a sounding board for the fruit and spice. This is so effusive it makes the corresponding (and outstanding) Dautenpflanzer seem almost demure by comparison! On the other hand, it misses quite the lift and dynamic of that wine. I suspect this will be worth following for the better part of two decades. The Rumpfs seem in 2008 to have had to struggle less to avoid the greenness that was observed in certain of their 2007s. “There was just nothing you could do this year,” comments Georg Rumpf, “except let the fruit hang a long time on the vine.”Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

The 2002 Riesling Spatlese Munsterer Pittersberg is most certainly better than the score indicates, but it suffered from excessive sulfur at my tasting. Slate and gun flint scents come to the fore with considerable air. It has a plush, satiny-texture, salty, mineral, and tangy flint flavors, as well as a fleshy medium-bodied character. Experience suggests this will be an outstanding wine after a few years in the cellar. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2020.This wine reveals high levels of sulfur and will therefore require substantial aeration if opened over the next 2 years.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300