2011 Stein "Blauschiefer" Riesling Trocken

Mosel wines usually sport soaring acid levels which often render the trocken (dry) wines a bit too sharp to enjoy in their youth. But acid levels in 2011 were closer to what the warmer, trocken-oriented regions like the Rheingau and Rheinhessen usually experience. This has realized some fine and concentrated Mosel trocken wines that are an excellent expression of terroir with which not everyone is familliar. From the importer: "As delicious and easy to drink as this is, it’s actually quite a serious wine - head and shoulders above past vintages. 'Blauschiefer,' after all, means 'blue slate' and blue slate tastes good. The nose is fresh and green, a tart granny smith apple bite. More than anything else, though, what one gets here is blue slate, in all its salty, mineral-water greatness. On the palate, there is impressive concentration for such a fine, delicate wine -- it has a tenacious grip, a delicate peach edge and even a limey, sappy play. The wine is super-unified, perfectly put together, crispy and delicious. This is a serious value."