The 2004 Haardter Herzog Rieslaner Trockenbeerenauslese smells pungently of citrus rind, white raisins and dried fruits, along with wisps of wood smoke suggesting botrytis and exotic aromatic esters for which there are probably no names. The rich, thick palate is malt- and chocolate-laced, jammy in fruit character, and with a brown sugar-like overlay of sweetness that is no doubt contributing to a huge cover-up. Past a certain point, one can only speculate what lies buried in this behemoth of a wine. The flavors, blatant and unrefined as they are, certainly take hold of the palate and will not let go. Since the arrival of young Mosel-born Martin Franzen at this great estate so long associated with the wisdom and artistry of Hans-Gunter Schwarz’s 36-year tenure as cellar master, I have been struck by a degree of qualitative continuity and stylistic affinity with the ancient regime that other commentators seem not to have noticed. In a very real sense, the legacy of Schwarz – “activism in the vines, minimalism in the cellar” – has seeped indelibly into the fabric of nearly every top winery in the Pfalz. How then could it be otherwise precisely at Mandelring #25? And although Franzen and a largely new team were forced, to a considerable extent, to rediscover the keys to these vines and sites, they are the same vines and sites so carefully tended, trained and conscientiously replanted over the past decades by the then team of Catoir and Schwarz. In 2004, Franzen has unlocked from them astonishingly numerous and improbably fine vinous treasures such as one has come to associate with the name “Muller-Catoir” in the nearly four decades since a very young Heinrich Catoir inherited this estate and decided to make a statement.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300