The “one star” 2006 Kanzemer Hohecker Riesling Auslese continues the annual demonstrations here of this little-known and tiny vineyard monopole’s talent – and, of course, von Kunow’s. He has concluded that high ripeness and residual sugar (which it resolutely hides) show this site off best, and that is in any case the style that obviously lies closest to his heart. A decadent aroma of over-ripe pear and peach, musky florality, and pungent brown spices lead into an oily-textured, palpably dense, palate with overt stone, and ore-like mineral suggestions, and a gripping, spicy, sizzlingly mineral, fruit pit-tinged, and anything-but-delicate finish. The residual sugar is as submerged as the over-ripeness is overt, reminding me of an old-fashioned style of higher-alcohol Beerenauslese. But the alcohol is only 7%! It’s not lower residual sugar but appears rather to be the nature of the site that makes the wine seem drier than it is. This should be fascinating to follow for 12-15 years, perhaps longer. Ebernard von Kunow’s outstanding 2005 collection gave promise of a return to the quality that made this estate a leader for most of the last quarter century, and – in the context of a challenging vintage – his 2006s were reassuring on that score. Patient settling of the musts and selective bentonite fining were von Kunow’s non-aggressive tools for dealing with the negative side of botrytis one of the most rigorous triages that time permitted had taken place in the vineyards. Rapid harvest, low yields and a frank desire to simplify things a bit, have resulted in fewer individual bottlings than one generally associates with this address.Importer: Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. (800) 596-9463