Andrew Jefford: Mid-gold in color. Sweet, warm, refined apple scents: long and beguiling, if a little unfocused. Fresh, intense, pungent, deep, dramatic: This is a hugely concentrated, authoritative wine. Pristinely dry, coruscating, and searching, it is almost painfully concentrated—or would be, were it not for the fact that the Riesling here has been taken on the very cusp of ripeness; the delicious pain is the concentration itself, and not any sort of rawness. There is some minerality behind, and extract, too, though not spadefuls of each, and the harvest moment also means that the glycerol levels are adequate rather than extravagant. Alcohol is imperceptible, of course. In sum, if you want a perfect definition of what Alsace can do with dry, dry Riesling—and indeed, if you want to gauge just how pungent yet how resonant dry Riesling can be—this is your wine. I just wish there was a little more aromatic refinement. 17.5

Andreas Larsson: Quite grapey and floral on the nose. The palate feels well rounded, with a fine combination of fruit, acidity, and extract. There’s a slight hint of sweetness, but it finishes dry and fairly persistent, with a good sense of purity. 15.5

Stephan Reinhardt: White-yellow. Pure, elegant, and fruity nose, slightly yeasty but not that far away from [JJ Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett Germany Mosel 2008] and [Markus Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese Fruchtsuss Germany Mosel 2009]. Very deep and ripe. On the palate, very rich and mineral, firm, and structured, extremely salty, much less reductive than so many German wines. Very complex. Super-mineral on the nose, as on the palate. Expressive and rich. Great wine but much too young. Multidimensional. Rather baroque in style, but there is also a significant amount of Lutherian purity. 18