3 | Wine | Riesling, White, 91 to 95

"Peaches, tropical fruits, honey, and botrytis aromas. ...lead to a viscous, vibrant wine with superb natural acidity that frames the fruit brilliantly. This wine is all about pleasure; how long it will last is difficult to say but there is no rational reason to defer your gratification. By the way, it is also an outstanding value in sweet dessert wine."

This wine was named #10 on Wine Enthusiasts's Top 100 Best Buys of 2012.

"A fresh and textural wine, this puts a spicy spin on citrus rind, peach and apricot flavors. There's an intriguing hint of white pepper as well, and an overall sensation of density, in tensity, and exceptional length."

"A racy style, with flinty notes to the fresh-cut apple and crunchy peach flavors, matched to a slightly viscous salinity. Lemon zest lingers on the well-structured finish, revealing hints of passion fruit."

"Shows a well-defined richness to the lusciously fruity flavors of apricot, honeydew melon and white raspberry. A lattice structure supports plenty of spice and white chocolate notes. Finishes with candied ginger."

"Intense aromas and flavors of peach strudel and apple pie feature notes of custard and gooseberry. The vibrant finish echoes with long, pure glazed citrus notes."

"This firm white is focused by a backbone of racy acidity, offering kumquat, grapefruit zest, apricot and melon flavors, with honey and apple blossom hints. Shows lovely balance, with a mineral note lingering on the finish."

"A rich, dry white, with the luxurious, tactile texture of raw silk, this offers a spicy mineral base and layered flavors of green melon, pink grapefruit zest, honey, fleur de sel and macerated peach, all structured by firm, mouthwatering acidity."

"Kesselstatt’s 2010 Scharzhofberger Riesling Spatlese introduces a musky, honeyed overlay both on the nose and on a glycerin-rich palate, signifying the noble appearance of boytrytis on the stage. Invigoratingly pungent smoky and saliva-inducingly saline elements add further compelling intrigue and sensual appeal to a matrix of nearly overripe peach and herbal essences. There is elegance and lift here as well as a marriage of textural creaminess with vivacity that really display the grower’s and vinifier’s art as well as the uniqueness of a great site and of a style of wine unapproachable anywhere else on earth. Moderate residual sugar reinforces the fruit and moderates any tendency the botrytis might have had toward bitterness but a the same time stays in the background so that while this beauty will no doubt keep well for a quarter century, it is not one of those “sweet” Mosel Rieslings that needs years in bottle to prove versatile at table."

"Rich and juicy, with lively acidity to focus its apricot, nectarine, apple and salty lime essence. Terrific balance and harmony, followed by a long finish, makes for a winning combination."

"A lovely wine, with a minerally undertow and finely tuned acidity framing apricot, kumquat, acacia blossom, smoke and crystallized honey notes that show a hint of lychee. A zesty thread of spice winds through the wine and lingers on the subtle finish."