2009 Kanzemer Altenberg Alte Reben

A reductive, post-fermentative aura initially occluded the aromatic virtues of Niewodniczanski's 2009 Kanzemer Altenberg Riesling Alte Reben (from ancient vines meticulously restored to health) just as had been the case with the corresponding 2008; but here too, happily, intriguingly complex scents of white peach, Persian melon, lemon rind, crushed stone, struck flint, peat, orange rind, and heliotrope emerge as the wine takes on air. As with others of the best Van Volxem Rieslings, this suggests satin and cream yet at the same time evinces cut and primary juiciness. What was initially hidden on the nose is paid back with dividends in a finish of striking transparency to mineral, floral, and herbal nuances whose kaleidoscopic interplay is remarkably complex as well as persistent. This displays fullness (at 12.5% alcohol) yet vivacity; superb refinement, yet at the same time underlying density of extract and implacable grip. Roman Niewodniczanski harvested off and on through the sporadic rain that hit the lower Saar in early November, but he reports that while grapes picked later looked less good, their aromas and flavors proved superior. He and cellarmaster Dominik Volk have turned out another collection of Rieslings dry-ish (but seldom legally trocken and never labeled as such) and striking in their alliance of leesy richness and amplitude with elegance and detail; a style not without controversy, but one Niewodniczanski is convinced reflects that which prevailed for the first two thirds of the 20th century, including its first decade, when the price of Saar Riesling from a top site exceeded that of a Bordeaux First Growth. "With a couple of exceptions," he notes with obvious pride, "my 2009s stayed under 12% in alcohol." Some of these were bottled just before summer and the top wines at the end of summer, a couple of weeks before my September visit. (For more on Niewodniczanski’s wine style, ambitions and methods, consult earlier reports, notably that in issue 163.) Importers include Ewald Moseler Selections, Portland OR tel. 888 274 4312 and Acid Inc Selections, New York, NY; tel. (817) 687 4848