Variety-typical pink grapefruit along with sage and mint scent the Pfeffingen 2008 Ungsteiner Herrenberg Scheurebe Auslese, which then saturates the almost buttery palate with luscious, herb-wreathed grapefruit and melon, leading to a long and for its genre surprisingly refreshing finish, whose saline savor is especially lip-smacking. Here is an Auslese with lift and moderate (69 grams) sweetness that you actually want to drink, not just sip and analyze! But you can, without worry, take up to two decades to do so.It threatened to become another 2006, said Jan Eymael of the mid-September, 2008 rain, but even in the warmest parts of the Pfalz the weather stayed relatively cool, and he did not pick the first Rieslings until September 30, then continuing off and on for three weeks. The later it got, the better the grapes became, comments Eymael. Another month on the vine allowed for the November 18 picking of two magnificent nobly sweet Scheureben.Importer: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. (800) 596-9463

Pink grapefruit, pineapple, nectarine, blackcurrant, and honey inform the Pfeffingen 2007 Ungsteiner Herrenberg Scheurebe Auslese, which – while creamy in texture – boasts liveliness uncommon for its genre, and perfectly-balanced sweetness to support its generous impression of very ripe fruit. A bitter-sweet suggestion of candied grapefruit rind and refreshing, cooling mint, as well as rich notes of nut-paste and chocolate add to the allure in a long finish. Count on a lot of pleasure from this over at least the next 12-15 years. In addition to those distinctive features of Jan Eymael’s 2007 collection mentioned in my individual tasting notes, he points out that as a group they are youthfully a bit reductive and tight, for which reason he presented to me bottles (save for those of the nobly sweet wines) that had first been given two hours in the refrigerator with a couple of inches of their contents removed.Imported by Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA 800 596 9463

Pink grapefruit, nectarine, peppermint, and sage scent the 2006 Ungsteiner Herrenberg Scheurebe Auslese. Honeyed richness and a caramelized edge do not preclude a wafting sense of elegance, even delicacy, nor an infectiously juicy cast throughout. Essentially, this reflects the preparatory harvest for the Beerenauslese and T.B.A. I would not hesitate to hold any of the 1,000 half bottles of this beauty for 15-20 years. Pfeffingen suffered 40% losses vis a vis normal, even though most of their crop had already been picked when the worst rains arrived on October 3rd. Scheurebe was so resistant to the effects of rain, Jan Eymael reports, that they did not even begin picking it until all of the Riesling was finished, and at that point the fruit was still healthy. But not for long: a week later, says Eymael, Beerenauslese could be picked straight from the vine! To compensate for the high acidity in fruit harvested this early, Eymael gave many of his wines significant skin contact in the press, and he was also happy to the extent that the young wines dropped tartrates. But above all, the high extract inherent in this well-watered vintage serves to buffer acidity. The tart, brisk personality of some of this year’s wines thus comes as something of a shock relative to the vintage norm, but not considering the early harvest at this address.Imported by Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA 800 596 9463.