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J&C Binner 2002 Riesling Kaefferkopf (Alsace) – I don’t believe I’ve ever tasted a dry riesling of such overwhelming density that still manages to achieve balance and harmony. Usually, a wine with this much extract is heavy and clumsy…or searingly alcoholic…but here everything’s in proportion. Only the most careful analysis will confirm a guess as to the variety (the clues are the vivid and ripe malic acidity, plus a certain persistence of acid-lifted structure on the finish), as this wine is very much given over to its terroir, which is revealed in a fine particulate mineral-salt core surrounded by delicate layers of dried pear and white spice. In the end, however, it is the density and concentration that win the day. This is a terrific wine with the potential for truly epic ageability. (5/07)