2009 Okonomierat Rebholz Siebeldinger im Sonnenschein Riesling Dry Ganz Horn GG

Rebholz's 2009 Siebeldinger Im Sonnenschein Ganz Horn Riesling Grosses Gewachs reflects, he points out, the sort of geological homogeneity that the law claims to demand in demarcating vineyards, although in the Southern Pfalz - with its less prestigious recent history than that of the Mittelhaardt - it seldom does. (And frankly, this principle often fails in the Mittelhaardt and among many German Einzellagen of other growing regions. The sandstone parcels that inform this particular bottling until recently were the basis of Rebholz's Grosses Gewachs Im Sonnenschein.) Juicy fresh orange and grapefruit are suffused with subtle senses of roasted summer squash, fusil smokiness, lip-smacking salinity, and crushed stone. Here is a lovely instance of extract sweetness and succulence even at very low residual sugar. At the same time, the barely 13% alcohol creates no impediment here for levity, and this finishes with cool refreshment and infectious saliva-inducement. Look for this beauty to perform admirably for at least the better part of a decade. As noted in my general introduction to this report, Rebholz expressed considerable (not to mention understandable!) pleasure in a 2009 collection that combined ripe flavors with lively acidity and moderate alcohol. Imported by Rudi Wiest, Cellars International, Carlsbad, CA; tel. 800 596 9463