St. Urbans-Hof Riesling Spätlese Ockfener Bockstein 2010

This is refined, with flavors of peach, lime, mineral and a mix of savory herbs. Delicate yet vivid on the palate, with vibrant acidity driving the finish. Therersquo;s a hint of vanilla on the aftertaste. Best from 2012 through 2022.

Fresh apple, orange blossom, and honeysuckle in the nose of St. Urbans-Hofrsquo;s 2007 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese lead to lush and creamy, yet delicate and refreshing, citrus- and apple-enriched palate and a decidedly saline, stony, yet persistently sappy finish with well-integrated sweetness and a very slight hint of caramel. The balance here is uncanny, not just in the way that creaminess and liveliness, density and delicacy coexist, but also in the way that 11% alcohol is nowhere in evidence, while fewer than 50 grams of residual sugar (low by standards being set in recent years at so many addresses along the Mosel) proves to be quite enough. This outstanding value ought to merit 12ndash;15 years of cellaring. Nik Weis declares 2007 ldquo;our finest vintage of all,rdquo; adding that 2001 comes closest in quality among years of recent memory. In all honesty, the last seven vintages here have been so studded with superlatives that I am happy to leave it to fate in bottle and the judgment of a generation that comes after me to pick a ldquo;best collectionrdquo; from among them.

A beauty, this rsquo;01 Riesling reeks of slate and exotic spices. It picks up candied citrus and tropical fruit notes on the palate, worn on an ethereal frame. Wonderful harmony and expression of site. Drink now through 2010.

Enticing scents of elder flower and orange blossom greet you from a glass of St. Urbans-Hof 2008 Ockfener Bockstein Riesling Spatlese, which then offers a delicate and refreshing meld of apple and citrus transparent to saline and stony nuances. This outstanding value and energetic expression of its site and vintage wicks-away 60 grams of residual sugar so that it tastes only subtly sweet, offering a fine example of the almost miraculous workings of a really well-tuned, low-alcohol Saar (or Mosel) Riesling, and one apt to remain delightful for two decades. Sankt Urbans-Hof, notes proprietor Nik Weis, experienced a good ten degrees Oechsle difference in 2008 between its ripest Saar fruit mdash; bottled as Spatlese mdash; and that of the Mosel, which reached Aulese level even without stringent selection of botrytis fruit. ldquo;We find this a terrific vantage,rdquo; remarks Weis mdash; who compares its style with 1998 mdash; ldquo;inasmuch as at long last we again have the clear differentiation between Kabinett as it should be, Spatlese, and ennobled Auslese.rdquo;

Like many Saar wines in 2007, this is rich and ripe, with fleshy notes of orange and stone fruits. Itrsquo;s backed by typically steely Saar acidity, giving it intensity and poise.

Hinting at graphite, this white delivers peach, Golden Delicious apple, warm baking spice and citrus aromas and flavors. Itrsquo;s all matched to a firm, tightly wound structure, with the acidity topping the balance now. Therersquo;s fine, stony length. Needs time. Best from 2014 through 2035.

A beauty, this '01 Riesling reeks of slate and exotic spices. It picks up candied citrus and tropical fruit notes on the palate, worn on an ethereal frame. Wonderful harmony and expression of site. Drink now through 2010.