The 2004 Mussbacher Eselshaut Riesling Auslese smells of peach jam, plum paste and honey with smoky botrytis-typical top notes. In the mouth it manages to retain startlingly juicy fresh pit fruit and citrus character to harmoniously accompany layers of incipiently caramelized pit fruit and honey. The balance and layered complexity of this wine is poised and elegant, a fast-flowing, incredibly deep, rich river of fruit and honey managing somehow to come off as ethereally light and delicate. The finish endlessly layers honey, nut oils, and the aforementioned caramelized and fresh fruit flavors. 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

An unabashed auslese, brimming with apricot, vanilla, blood orange and a hint of bergamot wrapped in a soft, juicy-textured package. Delicious and beautifully made. Drink now.??–BS??Region: Germany / Pfalz Select to Add

The 1992 Mussbacher Eselshaut Riesling Auslese possesses a spectacular nose of flowers, minerals, and honeyed fruits. Firm and dry, with huge richness and an unctuous texture bolstered by fine acidity, this tightly-knit, marvelously-proportioned wine should drink well for 7-8 years.Muller-Catoir is Germany's most fashionable winemaker, enjoying a position among connoisseurs much like that of such illustrious French winemakers as Jean-Francois Coche-Dury, Comte Lafon, Michel Niellon, and Olivier and Leonard Humbrecht. Muller-Catoir's aromatic wines are undoubtedly super-ripe and multi-dimensional, as well as exceptionally complex. Most importantly, they are delicious! Not surprisingly, Muller-Catoir excelled in the 1992 vintage, with two of the firm's sweeter cuvees approaching perfection.A Terry Theise Estate Selection, imported by Milton S. Kronheim Co., Washington, DC.