The 2004 Bopparder Hamm-Ohlenberg Riesling Spatlese “Anarchie” A.P. #15 is so-named because it stopped itself with an awkward 35 grams per liter residual sugar when Weingart intended it to go dry. This displays aromas of pineapple, quince and candle wick in the nose, making it seem rather Loire Chenin-like. On the palate it is possessed of animated pink grapefruit citricity, ripe peach, quince, and wet stone minerality. The wine displays admirable stuffing to support its brightness and balance of sweetness. There is a movement I applaud – one finds more examples in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer – to bring back residually sweet Kabinett or Spatlese Rieslings with “only” 25-40 grams of residual sugar, i.e. at precisely the level that 30 and more years ago represented the norm. This wine serves as an excellent example. Generous spice, fruit and minerals finish the picture. Florian Weingart brought no Riesling in from the Bopparder Hamm under 90 degrees oechsle – a record at this estate – but the range of phenolic ripeness was much more variable than that statistic would suggest. In years gone by, Adolf Weingart would have attempted to gently de-acidify a vintage with acids like this, but his son sticks by principle and with a single exception did not touch the 2004 acids. Instead, he tried to counter any tendency toward green, aggressive acidity with time on the lees and judicious application of residual sugar. But as he points out, it didn’t help that the 2004s as a rule stubbornly held on to their CO2 after a cold winter, a condition normally viewed as favorable. Introducing some wood into the cellar is an idea for the future.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300