Schlossgut Diel Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Beerenauslese, Nahe, Germany

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Cinnamon-laced quince jelly, marzipan and caramel dominate Diels’ 2011 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Beerenauslese, which, like its Burgberg counterpart, is dominated (for now and the foreseeable future at least) by sheer sweetness. But the allure of a soothingly creamy – indeed, subtly buttery – texture and this elixir’s lingering intensity ought not to be underestimated. (In any event, they are impossible to overlook.) What’s more, some piquant elements of toasted almond and peach kernel lend welcome counterpoint and a bit of push-back to the wine’s sweetness. As a measure of how rich was this material, consider that the Burgberg finishes with only 7% alcohol while this Goldloch reached 9%, yet tastes virtually as sweet! Lock some away if you have 20-30 year expectancy for your own life, or an heir with a sweet tooth. Caroline Diel is now the mother of two, but shows every intention and indication of personally staying on top of her estate’s viticulture. In collaboration with long-time cellarmaster Christoph Friedrich, she is both perpetuating and further refining the styles of wine that have come to characterize and enhance the long-standing reputation of Schlossgut Diel. Picking began in the last week of September and most of the top Rieslings were harvested already in the first week of October, by which point there was a significant amount of botrytis, happily largely noble, most of it picked-out in parallel with the fruit for the Grosse Gewachse. Wisely, I think – as heaven knows they have an austere side as is – the Diels elected for the sake of moderating alcohol to leave a bit more residual sugar behind this year than usual in their Grosse Gewachse. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Selected-out from the same early picking that informed the corresponding gold capsule Auslese, the Diel 2009 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Beerenauslese is confectionary in its sheer sweetness as well as its overall personality. Marzipan, sultanas, vanilla cream, caramel apple, peach preserves, and honey inform a rich, creamy plate. This is the most predictable as well as superficially the sweetest of the collection’s botrytis wines, but it offers an impressively long interchange of cinnamon and ginger spice with the aforementioned confectionary elements, and should be worth following for 30 or more years. Caroline Diel’s 2009 collection is noteworthy not only for a range of outstanding Riesling such as has long been anticipated (though seldom bettered) at this estate, but also for a set of wines from the Pinot family – all, incidentally, now labeled with French rather than German names for their varieties – that in my estimation mark a significant up-tick in quality. That this estate has been famous in Germany for its work with Pinots ever since Armin Diel assumed charge in 1987 and began barrique vinification, I am of course well aware. But only in recent years have I witnessed tendencies to restrain the influence of new wood and to encourage real subtlety, which seem to me prerequisites for achieving with these varieties anything remotely approaching the class of Schlossgut Diel’s Rieslings. The 2009 Pinots were harvested in mid-October and most of the Rieslings in the two weeks following. The superb botrytis selections were all picked-out ahead of even the Pinots. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Pungent, prickly aromas in Diel’s 2007 Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Beerenauslese suggest that it might try to make up for the absence of Eiswein from this year’s long-hanging Riesling collection, but in fact these are manifestations of botrytis, albeit of a sort dramatically contrasting to the corresponding Auslese. Candied lemon and butterscotch characterize the richly-textured palate and long, intense, if very sweet and at present not terribly complex finish of a wine sure to last three or more decades, but unlikely, I suspect, to prove as interesting or refined as many of its stable mates. With the 2007 vintage – one Armin Diel compares with his superbly successful 2004s – daughter Caroline Diel has joined Christoph Friedrich in guiding vineyard and cellar operations here. (The 2008 vintage sees her in the estate’s leading role.) Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300