2000 Oestricher Lenchen Riesling Auslese Gold Capsule

Any excitement is welcome in the Rheingau nowadays, and the estate run by Andreas and Bernd Spreitzer generates genuine excitement in the glass. These brothers leased the vineyards from their father in 1997 and rocketed to overnight - and, as it turns out, well-deserved - attention in the German press. The deep loess riverside Oestrich terroir is less fabled than that of its stonier uphill neighbor, Hallgarten, and often produces wines in which generosity of fruit goes before finesse. In Spreitzer's case, make that generosity with a capital G and don't hold the finesse. "In 2000, a lot of our neighbors already began harvesting in early October," reports Andreas Spreitzer, "but we held off. There wasn't much difference in must weight if you waited out another two weeks of largely rainy weather, but as for physiological ripeness, well that was a whole 'nother story." Vinification here is in tank, but the wines spend at least a short time in large, traditional wooden ovals. There was not a lot of wine shipped in this, their first year of American export, so a diligent search of the marketplace is urgently recommended. (Terry Theise)