Bodenstein’s 2007 Riesling Smaragd Steinriegl certainly makes me believe in the power of suggestion (if not in any direct communication from rocks) because knowing that this site is unusual for its marble content, this is a metaphorically marble-lined wine if ever it existed: cool, polished, and mysteriously reflective of ripe melon and pit fruits, and shimmering with spice, pepper, and mineral pungency. Is it sticking to my tongue or my tongue to it? And talk about “extract sweetness’ (as one is apt to do, in German anyway): this has it in spades. I’d plan to follow this for 6-8 years. Incidentally it was harvested mid-November, in what Bodenstein says was a rain-free week. This was one of our most expensive and laborious harvests ever, says Toni Bodenstein, adding that if the mere two bottlings he does of Federspiel had not this year represented a full 50% of his production, the attention and selectivity necessary for the quality of all the other wines would not have been possible. Bodenstein notes that he didn’t risk long skin contact this year, as he did not want to risk losing tartaric acidity to precipitation.Importer: Vin Divino, Chicago, IL; tel. (773) 334-6700