Kusuda's 2019 Riesling is essentially dry—it contains only 3.2 grams per liter of residual sugar and weighs in at 11.5% alcohol. It's a shimmering, pure example of the variety, uncluttered by sweetness to reveal layers of fruity complexity, with notes ranging from lime and peach to pineapple and green apple, all complemented by hints of crushed stone and a long-lingering finish.

Picked in four separate passes over six days and coming in at 13% alcohol and 179 grams per liter of residual sugar, Kusuda's 2018 Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese is a brassy hue in the glass. Laden with scents of honey, marmalade and Earl Grey tea, it's a marvel to smell. Given the raw numbers, it's no surprise this wine is full-bodied and unctuous, rich, creamy and honeyed in texture, yet it also boasts remarkable acidity, which keeps it from becoming cloying on the lengthy finish. Take Hiroyuki Kusuda's meticulousness in farming and winemaking, apply it to this genre of late-harvest wine, and I anticipated success. But this goes well beyond success, ranking as perhaps the best sweet wine (maybe even best wine) I've tasted from New Zealand.