2004 Dorsheimer Pittermannchen Eiswein

Bottled the day I tasted, but I suspect simply so great a wine as to overcome any adversity, the 2004 Dorsheimer Pittermanchen Riesling Eiswein – picked partly mid-November and the rest on December 21 - is a super-concentrate of quince, pear nectar and pineapple, shot through with honey and nut paste. Through it waft ominous and pungent clouds of smoke and an almost smarting acid rain of citrus and spice. The finish would demand a stopwatch if I kept one and if that weren’t sacrilege. This wine literally brought tears to my eyes. Even if it proves hazardous to your health and pocketbook, you should make a point to experience this wine, particularly after it recovers from bottling. 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