Wally

Karp-Schreiber 2008 Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 10 09 (Mosel) – Sprightly dandelion wine with dusty minerals. Lemongrass, hibiscus, and bergamot. Simple, but of decent length. Whatever this wine is going to do, it’s not doing it yet. (10/10)

Yeast

St. Urbans-Hof 2007 Leiwener Laurentiuslay Riesling Spätlese 028 08 (Mosel) – SULFUR! SULFUR!! SULFUR!!! This wine, Keith Richards-like, is apparently designed to live forever. Is there anything else? Yes: buried deep, deep within are tropical fruit (pineapple-dominated) and a very rough, vaguely quartz-like finish. But this much sulfur could make your average JJ Prüm point and laugh. (5/10)

Worm d'or

Vollenweider 2008 Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling Spätlese “Goldkapsel” 05 09 (Mosel) – Very ripe. Very, very ripe. Very, very, very…oh, hell, you know where I’m going with this. But it is…ripe, I mean…though there’s a flood of acidity to match it, and it actually manages a fierce, fisticuffs-in-lava sort of balance. Apples? Sure, why not? Mineral-grayed coarse sea salt as well. Fascinating. And very young. Very, very young. Very, very, very… (1/10)

Do you Graach?

von Kesselstatt 2007 Graach Josephshöfer Riesling Spätlese 15 08 (Mosel) – I miss the days when a spätlese was a medium-weight wine. This is a bruiser, and though along with its full metal jacketed weight comes vibrant structure that carries that weight, it’s a very muscular wine. Green apple granite and dripping molten iron sundae topping. Age will definitely not hurt this wine. (1/10)

Dhron & quartered

AJ Adam 2008 Dhron Hofberg Riesling Spätlese 04 09 (Mosel) – Light salt, white pepper, and very fruity pineapple, elevated with power and vibrancy. Very self-confident. (12/09)

Miniminer

Carl Schmitt-Wagner 2007 Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese Feinherb 03 08 (Mosel) – Lightly petrol-skinned. Feels clean, round, and dry. Fairly insignificant now, but the finish is strikingly long and at a steady volume throughout, so there might be more here to find as the wine ages. Or maybe not. (12/08)