I was delighted, but also surprised – especially given its showing on the heels of a gold capsule Spatlese – to encounter Diel’s 2004 Scheurebe Spatlese, from a parcel of quarter-century old vines he has acquired in the Holle vineyard. Blueberry and black currant jam aromas and flavors are alluringly tinged by pungent sage oil and botrytis spice and drenched with honey in a long and juicy, almost candied sweet finish. This elixir of Scheurebe would make a formidable – or perhaps an unwelcomingly intense! – aperitif, or you could sit on some bottles for a few years and wait for the sugar to back off. Incidentally, readers with the requisite disposable income are urged to explore Diel’s 2003 T.B.A. (from the Pittermanchen), which was unfortuitously also being bottled the day I visited. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300