From vines Florian Lauer planted at a dramatic spot overlooking the Saar that had returned to scrub decades ago, this second crop struck him as best-suited to relatively early picking as Kabinett. The results won’t make one forget last year’s superb Spätlese, but they certainly demonstrate that the quality of that wine was no fluke. (Apropos of the youthfulness of this site’s vines, which has obviously been no hindrance to high quality, it’s worth noting that these reflect massal selections from a range of old Saar and Mosel vineyards.) An aromatically penetrating, bright, zingy alliance of apple and lime is mingled with lusciously juicy honeydew melon, laced with cooling mint and incisive cress and enhanced by strong yet entirely supportive sweetness. The vibrant, refreshing, rapier finish is suitably underlain with wet stone. I suspect this will gain stature with time in bottle and that it wouldn’t hurt to wait before even auditioning it.