More aggressively pungent, adamantly mineral, and overtly dense than its Fruhlingsplatzchen counterpart, Schonleber’s 2006 Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Spatlese trocken prominently features both plum and apricot and the bitterness of their pits. Sage, wet stone, and tart hints of red berry skin all add interest and a surprisingly voluminous and firm palate impression and serious, long finish are kept on the right side of refreshment thank to efficacious, ripe acids. This needs another 6-9 months in bottle, and should be worth following for 4-5 years thereafter. “The Nahe had the capability to render really good dry wines this year,” asserts Werner Schonleber. “Elsewhere, the botrytis was problematic, or the ripening took place too quickly. But we caught the whole spectrum here.” He proceeded to prove this memorably in the glass, with the finest collection I have ever tasted at this address (as well as – improbably – one in which Fruhlingsplatzchen outperformed Halenberg).Imported by Sussex Wine Merchants, Moorestown, NJ; tel. (856) 608-9644; also imported by Dee Vine Wines, San Francisco, CA; tel. (877) 389-9463

The apricot, apricot pit, tangerine rind and floral aromatics of the 2004 Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Spatlese trocken make for a noteworthy pungency, and its tweak of the nose is followed by a decidedly salty, mineral-saturated, cyanic and citric finish that is no less striking. There is a good balance of brightness and fullness and this Riesling finishes with a clarity of minerals and fruit that are admirable and engaging even if the overall impression of this exceedingly youthful wine is bright, pungent, and a tad austere. I feel sure that this will respond positively to a few more months in bottle. There was not a lot of time or leeway, relates Werner Schonleber, between the onset of complete ripeness and that of negative rot, so once the harvest started in mid October, it was necessary to “give it some gas” and not waste a single dry day. For the most part, there was not sufficient late warmth or sun to steer the botrytis that was present in a noble direction. But the array of clean, rot-free, wines with mineral and fruit concentration this year is certainly formidable, thanks among other factors to the excellent ventilation of these steep sites, the Schonlebers’ careful canopy management, and of course considerable selectivity at harvest.Various importers including: Chapin Cellars – Billington Imports, Springfield, VA; tel. (703) 455-4700 and Sussex Wine Merchants, Moorestown, NJ tel 856-608-9644