Speaking of the high quality of Diel Pinots, their 2005 Cuvee MO Brut Nature – a barrel-fermented blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris disgorged after 46 months – is every bit as exciting and worth seeking-out as its 2004 predecessor. There is an alliance of sappy vinosity and pit fruit juiciness with toasted nut; smoky peat; and piquant fruit pits that soothes with its creaminess; refreshes and invigorates; while at the same time offering head-scratching complexity. The Diels noted that tests demonstrated this wine would taste terrific without any sulfur being added at disgorgement, but they elected to sin on the side of caution, and were under the belief that as tasted by me in September – impressive though it was – this was a bit tightened by its bottling. I could imagine this adding complexity even a year or two out in the bottle, though the first thing is to get hold of some of the tiny quantity produced. Caroline Diel’s 2009 collection is noteworthy not only for a range of outstanding Riesling such as has long been anticipated (though seldom bettered) at this estate, but also for a set of wines from the Pinot family – all, incidentally, now labeled with French rather than German names for their varieties – that in my estimation mark a significant up-tick in quality. That this estate has been famous in Germany for its work with Pinots ever since Armin Diel assumed charge in 1987 and began barrique vinification, I am of course well aware. But only in recent years have I witnessed tendencies to restrain the influence of new wood and to encourage real subtlety, which seem to me prerequisites for achieving with these varieties anything remotely approaching the class of Schlossgut Diel’s Rieslings. The 2009 Pinots were harvested in mid-October and most of the Rieslings in the two weeks following. The superb botrytis selections were all picked-out ahead of even the Pinots. Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300