2009 Rudesheimer Drachenstein Eiswein

Half bottle. Not crystal clean on the nose but with lots of syrupy honeyed sweetness and relatively low acid for an Eiswein. Hint of cornichon! Fairly chewy finish. (JR)

Vanilla icing, marzipan, and caramel; peach preserves and quince jelly highlight Leitzs confectionary and confitured 2009 Rudesheimer Drachenstein Riesling Eiswein, its strong sweetness managing to pull back from being overdone. Soothing and surprisingly satiny and soft for its genre – as was its counterpart from the Klosterlay – this however offers somewhat greater depth of flavor and what I anticipate will be considerable short-term pleasure. I would revisit this within 4-6 years if I were going to contemplate the possibility of holding any for longer ”Yes it was dry,” says Johannes Leitz about the late summer and early autumn of 2009, “but drought stress? Who said anything about drought stress?” Evidently he either has a different definition for that condition or had different experiences from some of his colleagues, but I let the matter drop, and the quality of the wines here speaks eloquently both to Leitzs belief that nature delivered an almost ideal combination this year of near over-watering followed by dry heat (which he called “the parachute that saved us from a crash landing”), and to his success in what for others was a manifestly challenging season on the Rudesheimer Berg. Leitzs team began picking October 6 and continued for almost exactly one month. Incidentally, after working for nearly two decades from an expansion of his original cellar under the family home in suburban Rudesheim, Leitz will soon have completed a large new facility nearby. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300