Schonborn's " star" 2011 Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Riesling Auslese three star (*) represents a harvest over weeks (beginning already in mid-September ) across the entire range of this monopole Einzellage, portions of which harvest were then further picked over in the press house to become the corresponding B.A. and T.B.A. A prickly nose of grapefruit rind and radish puts me in mind of Eiswein, and the strikingly high and penetrating acidity one notices in this wine's analysis as well as on one's palate reinforces that impression. Volatile overripe and distilled pear and the aforementioned high-toned prickly elements are mutually reinforcing. This finishes with brash intensity but rather discordant juxtaposition of sweetness and acidity. It will certainly be worth revisiting in a few years and will almost surely "live" for decades, though the question is whether the gustatory results will merit time invested. The three stars as part of this wine-s name, incidentally, are really just the continuation of a labeling tradition; it's not as though this is riper or otherwise fundamentally different in character from a -non-starred- Schonborn Auslese such as this vintage-s Marcobrunn. (That extra asterisk in parenthesis after the three stars in the wine's name is to signify that it was cited by the authorities for illegality, specifically blending beyond the allowable amount of some other vineyard or vineyards.) There were only around 800 half-bottles of this (before recall and destruction affected most of it, that is). In recent reports, I have ascribed the significant positive developments at Schloss Schonborn to Peter Barth, who was named "winery director of the year 2009" by the Gault Millau, wine guide within Germany. However, Baarth was dismissed by Count Paul Schonborn in autumn of 2012 after the State of Hessen brought charges against him for violations of German Wine Law based on analyses that allegedly demonstrated he had illegally concentrated musts; blended wines in ways incompatible with their labeled geographical attributions; and added distilled spirit to T.B.A.s (presumably to push them past the 5% alcohol requisite for wine). The charges involved 20 wines (Seven of them Pinots) and around 20,000 bottles, mostly from vintage 2011, all of which the winery - acting decisively, if ultimately with little choice - destroyed or has sought to buy back from trade or private owners so that they can be destroyed. As of early 2014, the case has yet to come to trial. Steffen Roll, who replaced Barth soon after the latter's dismissal, will be responsible for a newly-assembled viticulture team as well as for wine-making, and there is little doubt among those who have observed their vineyards first hand that the level of care these received under outside management - along with their sheer vastness - was a weak point of the Schonborn estate, whether or not consequences of that weakness played any role in a temptation to transgress wine law in the cellar (which I tend to doubt). As it happens, I got an especially distressing glimpse of the estate's rot-endangered flagship Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg and other nearby vineyards during the warm, rainy third week of September, 2011, but Barth had not yet ordered any significant picking and expressed confidence that if the rain soon stopped, he would still be able to select both healthy and botrytized bunches capable of excellence, which is exactly what happened. "Many people failed to learn the relevant lessons from 2003," he insisted, and for that reason ended up with overly-alcoholic and acid-deficient 2011s. Among other procedures, musts were immediately pressed; rapidly and radically chilled; then rigorously settled. This is one of several Rhine estates whose lighter dry 2011s I found more expressive and better-balanced than their Grosse Gewachse. My tasting notes on this occasion reflect no experiences subsequent to Barth's indictment for wine fraud, but I have placed a parenthetic

With Schonborns “three-star” 2009 Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Riesling Auslese Three Star we experience a dramatic jump in both residual sugar and acidity vis-a-vis any of their current collections non-botrytis wines. (Interestingly, the estate has in recent years phased-out “regular” Pfaffenberg Auslese, aiming instead where possible for this sort of virtual-B.A.) Aromas of pear liqueur, quince preserves, and marzipan prepare the way for a confectionary and confitured palate impression to which the pungency of fresh ginger and bitterness of citrus rind offer counterpoint and help push back against the strong sense of sweetness. This embryonic elixir ought to be worth following for at least a quarter century, and the patient will probably be rewarded not only with more balanced sweetness but also with greater complexity. The latest collection from Peter Barth and his team further demonstrates the high standards that now prevail at this venerable estate. “The window for optimal harvest seems to keep narrowing,” Barth notes, and the relatively high finished alcohol levels on this years dry Schonborn Rieslings certainly testifies to that fact, leaving the 2008s at this address with a distinct edge over their 2009 counterparts. Despite the ravages of hail in Hattenheim and Erbach – including the loss of nearly one-third of the estates anticipated crop of Marcobrunn – the number of different bottlings from that site and from the monopole Pfaffenberg is still considerable. Various importers, including Dee Vine Wines San Francisco, CA; tel. (877) 389- 9463, Slocum & Sons, North Haven, CT; tel. 203-239-8000, Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700, Winesellers Ltd. Niles, IL; tel. (847) 647-1100

The -three star- Schonborn 2007 Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Riesling Auslese offers the muskiness of the site multiplied by the muskiness of botrytis, for an aromatic display that may cause some to wrinkle up their noses, but that none will soon forget! A downright animal streak runs all the way through this, as does a sense of tension between the wine's high acid and honeyed, caramelized botrytis side. Past the nose, this becomes slightly less striking than the Marcobrunn Auslese, and it finishes long and spicy, if mildly discordant. But there is certainly a lot of complexity on display here, and no sense of heaviness - on the contrary, there is energy and lift. Perhaps even short-term this will become more harmonious. That said, I only tasted it after it had been bottled for almost a year. It certainly would bear following for several decades. Peter Barth took over cellar duties in 2001, and direction of the entire, fabled Schonborn estate in 2006. I had not visited in all that time - only heard rumors of a revival (tales of a sort that are too often false alarms when it comes to large, underperforming, noble Rheingau estates) - so I am happy to report that the renaissance of Schloss Schonborn is for real. Ten years ago, I found Schonborn's dry wines too austere and their sweet wines exaggeratedly so. Examples of these extremes have not been eliminated, but there are plenty of gorgeous and without doubt age-worthy wines that steer a steady stylistic course. Although - like most large German estates - Schonborn has pruned the number of single-vineyard wines and styles on offer when compared with the enormous annual line-ups that prevailed until a decade ago, this has been done with sensitivity to synergistic blends, and allowing plenty of room for each of the domaine's most celebrated vineyards - in particular their monopole Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg with 12 bottlings this vintage! and Erbacher Marcobrunn - to show-off. Various importers, including Dee Vine Wines San Francisco, CA; tel. (877) 389-9463, Slocum & Sons, North Haven, CT; tel. 203-239-8000, Frederick Wildman & Sons, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700