The 2004 Haardter Burgergarten Riesling Spatlese trocken “Aspen” comes from the lowest, deepest-soiled portion of Burgergarten, but whereas the Breumel is a sheltered clos, Aspen is open to the breeze and its berries tend to be tiny and thick-skinned. Aromas of clove-studded orange peel and apple suggest the wine’s intense phenolic constitution, but the slightly oily palate is enormously open and juicy, nicely enveloping the smoky, sizzlingly spicy, tart apple skin and pungently smoky notes. The finish gushes forth a deep, broad apple and orange fruit stream, along with an exclamatory rendition of all of the aforementioned flavor accents. Since the arrival of young Mosel-born Martin Franzen at this great estate so long associated with the wisdom and artistry of Hans-Gunter Schwarz’s 36-year tenure as cellar master, I have been struck by a degree of qualitative continuity and stylistic affinity with the ancient regime that other commentators seem not to have noticed. In a very real sense, the legacy of Schwarz – “activism in the vines, minimalism in the cellar” – has seeped indelibly into the fabric of nearly every top winery in the Pfalz. How then could it be otherwise precisely at Mandelring #25? And although Franzen and a largely new team were forced, to a considerable extent, to rediscover the keys to these vines and sites, they are the same vines and sites so carefully tended, trained and conscientiously replanted over the past decades by the then team of Catoir and Schwarz. In 2004, Franzen has unlocked from them astonishingly numerous and improbably fine vinous treasures such as one has come to associate with the name “Muller-Catoir” in the nearly four decades since a very young Heinrich Catoir inherited this estate and decided to make a statement.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

A dry style with attractive, plump fruit evoking peach, quince and fruit blossom flavors and ample flesh to balance the firm, chalky structure. Fine integration and length. Drink now through 2015. 222 cases made.??–BS??Region: Germany / Pfalz Select to Add