Like its 2007 Auslese trocken predecessor - and unlike its Domdechaney and Berg Schlossberg siblings of this vintage - the Schonborn 2008 Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Riesling Erstes Gewachs (from the oldest vines of this monopole, immediately outside the winery) was fermented and aged in cask. Narcissus, pink grapefruit, and mango inform the nose and palate, with a lovely balance being struck on the palate between succulent, tropical effusiveness and bright citrus. This displays breadth but at the same time lift and elegance, not betraying its alcohol in any roughness or heat. A wealth of musky, floral inner-mouth perfume is perfectly supported by the sense of vinous buoyancy on exhibit. Grapefruit zest, peach kernel, and toasted almond add piquancy to a long and nevertheless persistently luscious and juicy finish. Enjoy following this over the next 6-8 years at least, but don't forget to savor some of it young. An April, 2009 visit to this estate - my first in many years - convinced me of Peter Barth's seriousness and talent, and revealed many wines worthy of the great potential of the vast von Schonborn acreage. Last September, I was thrilled by an even finer collection. The number of separate and vineyard-specific bottlings here (as explained - along with other recent developments at this estate - in issue 185) is nowadays intentionally limited. Additionally, in 2008 Barth adopted a very conservative approach, essaying few nobly sweet wines, and while finding his best fruit from top parcels worthy of Erstes Gewachs bottlings, he did not render parallel Spatlese trocken bottlings from the same sites as in other recent years. -Our late start picking this year, with the first Riesling on October 17,- Barth points out, -would have been considered entirely normal 15 years ago. But honestly, by the time we started, I think more than half of the Rheingau had already been picked, a lot of that wines with green, unripe notes and resulting in wines that were then de-acidified.- 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

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