~$14US, 100% Riesling, Rheingau, Germany

Leitz’s Dragonstone is a wine I keep coming back to, despite not really getting it on first tasting. I gave it a second try a few months ago and was able to observe some nice evolution in the bottle - the early 2005s had a fierce minerality supported by great fruit, nearing a spatlese-level of ripeness (at least to my palate) - but it was disjointed. The later 05’s started to get that beautiful petrolly aspect along with a tapering of the fruit and an integration of the slatey mineral notes - making for an altogether more mature, harmonious and integrated wine. It was a welcome change, and I was interested to see if the 06’s followed suit.

My first ‘06 poured a very very pale straw - almost clear. The aromatics were obvious and clean with dominant white peach and fresh apple juice. Some nectary/floral notes beyond the fruit, and the tell-tale mineral rocky aromas that I’ve come to associate with this wine.

On the palate, I was pleasantly surprised by the freshness compared to the ‘05. On entry, the fruit ripeness dominates - but the brisk acidity comes dashing through to balance the wine perfectly - ever so slightly off-dry and chalky on the finish. Light-to-medium palate-feel and enough complexity/vineyard character/etc at this price point to keep my wife and I pouring more. In recent memory, I’m not sure I can remember a wine that was as simply refreshing to sip alongside a meal.

Very well-crafted, distinctive, refreshing and food-friendly - what else is would you need for a perfect summertime white? And I’m pretty sure that it will evolve in the bottle for a few years for anyone who has enough patience and discipline not to drink it now - but for me, I”ll be drinking it.

~$15US 100% Riesling, QbA, Rhiengau Germany
A very pale and clean Riesling. Exerts a massive stony minerality on the nose, along with a strong bilious acidity (alkalinity?) and some dried apricots. An all-out assault on the palate: Peach-syrupy sweet, a crazy tingle just to confound the tongue, and a short quiver of cider-acidity. Finshes with a lemon drop. Disjointed overall, the cloying up-front sweetness fights with the spiky mineral notes. Maybe more acidity or the right food pairing would save this. Vindaloo anyone?

A 2-note (dis)chord: Sweet and Wierd. Not for me.