The Schonborn 2009 Hochheimer Domdechaney Riesling Erstes Gewachs – like its fellow Erste Gewachse in this collection – approaches the limit of residual sugar permissible for legal Trockenheit, but at 13.4% betrays its alcohol less obviously than do its stable mates. Along with rich peach and pear fruit there is a metaphorically cooling sense of chalkiness here and an ample sense of finishing refreshment. Hints of hyacinth and lily-of-the-valley in the nose as well as almond oil and grapefruit rind piquancy integrated into the finish add allure. Long-lined like the corresponding dry Hasensprung Spatlese, this offers an extra measure of refinement and ought to be worth following for at least 4-6 years. The latest collection from Peter Barth and his team further demonstrates the high standards that now prevail at this venerable estate. “The window for optimal harvest seems to keep narrowing,” Barth notes, and the relatively high finished alcohol levels on this years dry Schonborn Rieslings certainly testifies to that fact, leaving the 2008s at this address with a distinct edge over their 2009 counterparts. Despite the ravages of hail in Hattenheim and Erbach – including the loss of nearly one-third of the estates anticipated crop of Marcobrunn – the number of different bottlings from that site and from the monopole Pfaffenberg is still considerable. Various importers, including Dee Vine Wines San Francisco, CA; tel. (877) 389- 9463, Slocum & Sons, North Haven, CT; tel. 203-239-8000, Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700, Winesellers Ltd. Niles, IL; tel. (847) 647-1100