The 2006 Pundericher Marienburg Riesling Auslese Weissenberg gives another smoky, pungent account of vintage botrytis, and unfortunately brings with its yet more elevated ripeness almost more residual sugar than the structure, acidity, or perhaps terroir can bear. Caramel and brown spices, musk melon and honey, sultanas and maple syrup – this is almost over the top in more than one sense, and for all of its richness and sweetness, bitterness and dustiness of botrytis give it a slight tactile dry spot in the finish. This strikingly concentrated elixir needs 15 years to work off the effects of its sugar, and then the question is, will the picture botrytis painted really look pretty? Clemens Busch farms the steep slopes of the once-famous Pundericher Marienburg on the Lower Mosel entirely organically, which make him unique in the region and a source of wonder for his fellow vintners. Most of his top wines are labeled with their old pre-1971 site names. (Increasingly many growers are managing to get away with this.) Busch has been bottling nobly sweet Riesling since 1999, but never before – he hastens to inform me – in quantities remotely like those that nature imposed on him in 2006: Nine Auslesen, three Beerenauslesen, and a T.B.A.! Like Reinhard Lowenstein (and in a similar style), Busch is best-known inside Germany for his dry (or near-dry) single-site wines, which are not released for more than a year after harvest. (In fact, most of the 2006s had not finished fermenting yet when I visited last summer.)Mosel Wine Merchant selections (various importers), Trier, Gemany; fax 011 49 (0)651-14551 39; also imported by by Ewald Moseler Selections, Portland OR; tel. 888-274-4312

A 2005 Pundericher Marienberg Riesling Auslese Weissenberg – from red slate – offers a nose of honey and ethereal botrytis, pear nectar, quince jelly, and marzipan. In the mouth, this is polished and creamy, pure but very sweet, almost candied, leading to a gently wafting finish subtly tinged with brown spices.Also recommended: 2005 Pundericher Marienberg Riesling Spatlese trocken*** ($39.00; 86).Clemens Busch farms the steep slopes of the once-famous Pundericher Marienberg on the Lower Mosel entirely organically, which makes him unique in the region and a source of wonder for his fellow vintners. Most of his top wines are labeled with their old pre-1971 site names. (Increasingly many growers are managing to get away with this.) Best-known inside Germany for his dry wines, he has nevertheless crafted excellent nobly sweet Rieslings in the present as well. The style tends toward creaminess of texture and ripe, relatively low acidity, particularly at the dry end of the spectrum.Importer: Mosel Wine Merchant, Manhasset, NY and Trier, Germany; tel. +49 (0) 651 14551 38