Serving in effect as the second – wait, make that third – wine of their Pittersberg Grosses Gewachs, Kruger-Rumpf’s 2010 Munsterer Riesling trocken features apricot, lemon, and tart rhubarb in an invigorating, if slightly raw-edged, amalgam. Firm and with a sense of stoniness underscoring its relative austerity, this bottlings saliva-inducing salinity helps save its tart, hard elements from detrimental effects, though it’s the sort of briskly dry German Riesling that will require care in pairing over the next couple of years if you really expect it to enter a synergistic relationship with your cuisine. (Sadly, it’s pretty clear that many if not most German chefs, sommeliers, and wine opinion makers have no such expectations.) Stefan and Georg Rumpf’s 2010 collection was one of those, whose stubbornly-dry trocken Rieslings more than just occasionally tended toward an angularity, bitterness, and tartness that I doubt they will entirely outgrow. The Rumpfs de-acidified selectively, sometimes in must and sometimes to young wine. Skin contact was favored as a check on acids, though that may arguably have reinforced bitterness. Bottling times were pushed back by about a month, though in the context of such late harvest that means essentially the usual length of elevage. Incidentally, I found the Rumpf’s two 2009 Spatburgunder bottlings to have been diminished by the quality of barriques employed and/or the wine’s length of exposure to wood, specifically by faintly rancid overtones and a tendency toward drying in the finish.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300