From Germany, a vintage to remember

Schloss Lieser Mosel-Saar-Ruwer ($14, Rudi Wiest): A great value, essentially a spätlese-quality wine labeled as a basic estate bottle. Clean slate and talc, with rich melon, yellow plum, baking apple and fig. End is a bit abrupt, but it's vibrant and refreshing, with a lot going on.

Schmitges Mosel-Saar-Ruwer ($16, V.O.S. Selections/Kerlin Wines): Another great basic bottling. Dense peach, orange, sharp lemon and stoic mineral. Hints of tropical fruit, too. The end is good and punchy, with just a hint of sweet grapefruit peel.

J & H.A. Strub Kabinett Niersteiner Brückchen Rheinhessen ($17, Michael Skurnik Wines): A slightly warmer, sweeter style full of mango, lime and coconut, but kept in check with a sharp edge. Tense, with a resilient ending and integrated petrol notes.

Dr. H. Thanisch (Müller-Burggraef) Kabinett Bernkasteler Badstube ($19, Winesellers, Ltd.): A prime example of a Bernkastel wine. Faint diesel scents, mineral firmness, ripe orange and citrus peel. Bright, steely, rich and enduring.

Dr. H. Thanisch (Müller-Burggraef) Spätlese Bernkasteler Graben ($26, Winesellers, Ltd.): Fresh and grapey, with rich peach, lime zest, clover honey and a sharp mineral edge. Still young, but with huge potential. Unctuous and satisfying, with a long, soft finish.

Wegeler Spätlese Wehlener Sonnenuhr ($32, Rudi Wiest): The diesel scents are just emerging. It’s focused on the minerality, with lime, pear and apple backing up in supporting roles. Starts sweet, then the acid comes in and it ends tangy and dense. Still needs time, but worth buying for the long haul.

Dry (trocken) and nearly dry rieslings
Robert Weil Dry Rheingau ($24, Rudi Wiest): From one of the Rheingau's defining estates. Crisp, with hard-edged minerality and a forward tang. Eye-opening.

Jakoby-Mathy “Balance” Kinheimer ($15, Michael Skurnik Wines): A curious beast — with a lot of sugar in the wine but a mostly dry profile, hence the name. A spicy, fresh approach, with tangerine and pepper cookies. A firecracker of flavors at the start, with a somewhat softer ending. Great summer wine.

Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Spätlese Trocken ($27, Rudi Wiest): Tyrell's wines are never in great supply — even less so his dry wines, though he is masterful with them. Dominant lime and white mineral. A bit peppery, with food-friendly weight in the middle and a delicate finish.

Schmitges Erdener Treppchen Spätlese Dry ($23, V.O.S. Selections/Kerlin Wines): Warm tree fruit, with a hint of papaya. Sweet overtones on the nose, but it's firm and dry, with a precise, talc-inflected ending. A bit halting around the edges, but it makes for a terrific food wine.

Zilliken “Butterfly” Mosel-Saar-Ruwer ($18, Rudi Wiest): A brand-name effort from one of the Saar's most reliable producers. It's medium-dry and rather subtle, with a muted nose but strong mineral tones upfront. Tart apricot and lemon curd.

MORE FROM WINE

Wine Section Front

Sauvignon blanc: A perfect white for fall meals Long Island winery quickly makes its mark Spaghetti, meatballs and an $8 Italian red wine Italy’s diversity shows off in these top red wines With a chill in the air, a hearty red wine For a lunch party, crab cakes and crisp wines These lighter white wines are hardly lightweight Try this trio of top Australian red wines For the beach party, don’t forget the bubbly Give a bouquet of rosés for this Mother’s Day Wine Section Front   Add Wine headlines to your news reader: