Piquant and lively, showing a wonderful juxtaposition of bright white florals – gardenia and orange blossom - against ripe yellow stone fruits with slight hints of red currant and apple skin. There is a savory, salty component that balances the juicy – but dry – fruit profile that makes the wine mouthwatering and leaving you wanting another sip. This shows the class and elegance of an Erste Lage site in a long, balanced and refreshing package that is stunning now and will easily give pure drinking pleasure for another decade plus.

The 2015 Deidesheimer Mäusehöhle Riesling (AP 2216) opens with a pure and refreshing, rather coolish aroma (compared to the Leinshöhle) of ripe yellow fruits intertwined with stony aromas. Round, fresh and elegant on the palate, this full-bodied and well-balanced Riesling is tightly woven, but fine and very mineral. It displays ripe yellow apple flavors in the finish, as well as nice and stimulating grip. The finish is pure and salty, really vitalizing in its freshness and clarity. According to the label, this is 12.5% alcohol. - Stephen Reinhardt

Raised in tank with a small component of well-used 500-liter barrels, this weighs in at 12.5 percent alcohol, a full point less than its 2014 counterpart, and fortunately so, as there is some lift as well as energy to the finish. Hints of moss and wet stone on the nose join lime and avocado for a memorably intriguing impression that persists on the polished, juicy, clear yet subtly creamy palate. (A mere 6.4 grams of acid points to malolactic transformation and marks a striking contrast with siblings that reach the upper nines in acidity.) The subtly sustained finish features coolingly herbal, mossy, sweet lime and wet stone notes. -- David Schildknecht