Egon Müller Scharzhof Riesling 2007: This is reserved, reticent almost, but is clearly refined, pure and minerally. The palate is supreme and beautiful, with a truly fine, limpid, crystal-clear definition. It provides a tingling, laser-show of acidity which embodies the wine with a well defined, incisive character. Very impressive, especially for an entry-level wine. 16.5-17/20

Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett 2007: This wine immediately displays an extra dimension in comparison to the estate Riesling. It has a beautiful presence on the palate, with again a fabulously precise acidity. It is pure, minerally, slatey even, with a great, light and lifted style. A brilliantly composed wine. 18-18.5+/20

Egon Müller Wiltinger Braune Kupp Riesling Spätlese 2007: A light and bright nose here, a wonderful style and characterful palate. There is lots of intense acid providing a very firm backbone, and over that a broad character, with great tension and definition again. This has superb potential for the cellar. 17.5-18+/20

Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese 2007: A very fine and bright style here, and a lovely ripe character. Another finely balanced wine, showing great acidity again, with a fine texture. Then, through the midpalate, brilliant substance, density and structure. This is hugely impressive. 18-18.5/20

Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 2007: Rich, impressive, full of honey, beautifully styled, broad, creamy and stylish. Textured, full of golden fruits, backed up by great acidity and balance. Incredible presence on the palate, put simply this is wonderful. Very long too. 19-19.5+/20

Geltz-Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Kabinett 2007: A very fresh, pure, lifted and aromatic nose. This is a delicious wine with lovely style, full and fleshy, but balanced with a little delicacy. A clean, sour-juicy finish completes the picture. This has some length too. An excellent Kabinett. 16.5-17+/20

Geltz-Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spätlese 2007: A delicate but still minerally nose here, with a similar character to the palate with a gentle, textured, filigree finesse. Pure and mineral-rich, yet broad and textured, with tingling acidity through to the finish, this is a wine of great appeal. 16.5-17+/20

Geltz-Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spätlese (Auction) 2007: Delicious Saar minerals here, purer, richer and yet more lively than the preceding wines. A very incisively composed palate, fresh and impressive, warming and opening up later in the palate to display a fine, creamy substance. Really excellent style. 17.5-18+/20

Geltz-Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 2007: Another step up here, with a fabulous nose, pure and chalky and minerally. The palate is similarly delicious, broad and creamy, with a chalky edge and well covered acidity. Notes of orange peel provide a highlight, but its main appeal is its wonderful purity. Superb. 18-18.5+/20

Geltz-Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese (Auction) 2003: The quantity produced was just 120 litres, so it is unsurprising that this is an auction wine. The nose is heavenly, completely distinct from any other wine at this tasting, partly the Prädikat and partly due to the vintage I am sure. There are rich notes of quince botrytis, with a plainly obvious although fleeting high-toned element also. A wonderful, creamy, complex and layered style on the palate, this is stunningly fine. 19-19.5+/20

Von Hövel Oberemmeler Hütte Riesling Kabinett 2007: Pear fruit and aromatic minerals, this is very attractive. A lovely presence and substance on the palate, a very deep and very compact wine, rich but vibrant with its acidity, and it doesn't seem too sweet too me. A really excellent wine, finely styled, hardly showing its significant level of residual sugar, thanks mainly to the fine acidity I suspect. 17.5-18+/20

Von Hövel Oberemmeler Hütte Riesling Spätlese 2007: Wonderful character and purity here, bright fruit, plenty of finesse, great direction and poise. Forceful fruit, very firm style, rocky flavour with a firm acid backbone. This has a bright composition with lots of potential. Truly excellent wine. 17.5-18+/20

Von Hövel Scharzhofberg Riesling Spätlese 2007: Another very bright and lively wine, lifted and stylish. Huge direction here, lots of force and power, great acidity, cutting through a big texture with mineral and stone subtexts. Another impressive wine in an excellent portfolio. 17.5-18+/20

Von Hövel Oberemmeler Hütte Riesling Auslese 2007: A beautiful purity is evident here, very fine in character, yet with a huge impact and presence on the palate. It has a massive texture, is sweet and weighty, but also balanced and poised. A really remarkable wine. 17.5-18.5+/20

Von Hövel Oberemmeler Hütte Riesling Auslese** 2007: From a 375ml bottle. A complex nose, perhaps a little reductive at first, but gentle, ripe, rounded and rich. Warm, easy and accessible despite the gravity, helped by a core of great tingling acidity underneath it all. Lovely, well composed structure. Excellent. 18-18.5+/20

Van Volxem Saar Riesling 2007: This has a delightful nose, a rather forceful and mineral style, bright, fresh and limpid. Delicious tingling acidity, full and weighty and rich, but with great definition beneath. Lovely mineral edge to it. Good length too. 16-16.5+/20

Van Volxem Wiltinger Braunfels Riesling 2007: A vineyard of brown slate (as suggested by braunfels). Pungently minerally, very fresh with it. A lightfooted and elegant style on the palate, with very bright acids Beneath it all, burgeoning substance. This is distinctive and appealing. 16-16.5+/20

Van Volxem Alte Reben Riesling 2007: From old vines (alte reben) of which 50% are ungrafted. A lovely style on the nose, great impact, very balanced, cool and composed. Lots of midpalate texture, a little creaminess even, with depth and richness. A full and weight although very dry style. 16.5-17+/20

Van Volxem Scharzhofberg Riesling 2007: This isn't so expressive on the nose as the first three wines, but nevertheless the quality is still very apparent on the palate. It is full, stylish, with great purity. Lovely substance and interest, lots of depth and style. Plenty of character here, through to the dry, appealingly bitter finish. 16.5-17+/20

Van Volxem Rotschiefer Riesling Kabinett 2007: Lovely aromatics here, fleshy and ripe fruit, with pears, peppers and mixed fruit salad all in evidence. A fine style, fleshy and delicate, balanced, with apple and honeysuckle flavour. Fresh, firm acid backbone too. Delicious wine. 17-17.5+/20

Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Riesling Qualitätswein 2007: A delicate nose, herby and clean, with mineral elements. It has an appealing palate, clean and bright, with some good flesh. A stylish palate cleanser. Good. 15.5-16+/20

Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett 2007: This has an appealing, aromatic nose, both firm yet soft and welcoming if that is possible. The palate is soft, fleshy, flattering, but with good tingly acids. Bright, with sweet fruit and a touch of honey. A good, gentle finish. 16-16.5+/20

Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Josephshöfer Riesling Kabinett 2007: Gentle, honeyed, minerally fruit here, presented in an elegant style. The palate is fleshy, full, rounded and mouthfilling. But it has an elegance too, fresh pear fruit, with a good acidity. Overall, a lovely style. 16-16.5+/20

Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Piesport Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese 2007: The nose on this wine is delicate, showing some warm, gentle fruit. The palate has a similar delicacy, with a clean and youthful character, and it has a nice substance despite its subtle nature. It has a good weight, and paradoxically a lace-like composition. Overall this is very attractive. 16.5-17+/20

Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Josephshöfer Riesling Auslese lange Goldkapsel 2006: This has golden fruit, honey and rocks on the nose, and has a remarkable vivacity. Great depth and great structure on the palate, plush and textured with a delightful combination of honeyed sweetness and lifted purity. Finely textured with a very appealing presence, this is very good indeed. 16.5-17+/20

Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Kabinett Trocken 2007: This has 8 g/l residual sugar; it has a delicate nose, with a lean and herby character. Although limpid and clean it seems rather lost in the midpalate. It is a little hard to describe; it is both hard and unfocused at the same time. It softens up a little towards the finish, and has a youthful style with firm acidity. 15-15.5+?/20

Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Kabinett Feinherb 2007: This has 18 g/l residual sugar. Fresh, more aromatic than the trocken wine, and showing good substance on the palate. It is bright, minerally, stylish, with lots of grip and structure through the midpalate and end. Good character here. 16-16.5+/20

Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Kabinett 2007: Delightful fruit here, piles of bright, clean limes and melons. A fabulous style, very bright, ripe and flavoursome, textured. Notes of complex spices alongside a fleshy substance. This has really outstanding quality for this Prädikat. 17.5-18+/20

Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese 2007: Lovely bright fruit on the nose here, aromatic and clean. It has marvellous precision, pervasive and tingling acidity, and a taut, stylish and yet accessible composition. This is truly excellent. 17.5-18+/20

Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Auslese 2007: This has a wonderfully precise nose, and on the palate a reserved and yet creamy, broad style. Underneath it there is a great acidity keeping it all in check. Wonderful, well defined style and great structure. Elegant, lifted yet rich. And a great length too. Excellent wine. 18-18.5+/20

Fritz Haag Riesling 2007: The estate Riesling is sourced from Juffer Sonnenuhr and other vineyards in estate ownership. It has a very expressive nose, showing notes of pear, lime and peach. It has a rather soft, gentle, talcy nature which I would expect at this level, but nevertheless it has plenty of interest. The palate is fleshy, showing a ripe and rounded character, with grip but not a lot of acidity. Basic, but good quality, and a sign of a good vintage perhaps. 15-15.5+/20

Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett 2007: This has a pungent, exotic, mineral nose. It is very appealing in its rockiness. Fleshy and tangy on the palate, showing more orange peel and lime fruit. A powdery texture, fresh, appealing and very flavoursome. Good acids, overall very good indeed. 16.5-17+/20

Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 2007: There is a delightful, pure and bright style here, showing a gentle character endowed with honey and pear fruit. Pure, defined, lightfooted, elegant and balanced. But underneath it has depth and a great acid backbone, and a great length too. This is wonderful. 17.5-18+/20

Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2007: Again a pure, defined, lifted and very direct style. It is delicious, textured and yet finely balanced. There is finesse here alongside great flair and a rich core of acids. Fabulous stuff, right through to the incredibly long finish. 18-18.5+/20

Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 2007: This has an even firmer mineral core than the preceding wines, and has a very expansive nose with an enticing character. Pure and creamy, rich and yet well defined, this has amazing quality. It is purity and direction intertwined with depth, richness and texture. This is truly excellent wine. 18.5-19+/20

Schloss Lieser Riesling Qualitätswein Feinherb 2007: Bottles under screwcap. Bright, lifted and light, this is a wine of great, minerally, slatey-chalky character. A delicious palate, well balanced, fresh, limpid and appealing. Lively and cleansing. Very good. 16-16.5+/20

Schloss Lieser Riesling Kabinett 2007: A blend from two vineyards. A very pungent nose here, with a little sulphur in the background still. Nevertheless, it has a bright, clean and chalky-talcy palate, with some light fruit. Attractive, fresh, but I actually prefer the feinherb. 15-15.5+/20

Schloss Lieser Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 2007: Again some sulphur on the nose here, and little else is showing through at present. A gentle palate, quite stylish, with some honey and toffee richness building through the midpalate. Creamy, although with lovely balanced acidity. A little difficult to judge at present, but I think there is very good potential here. 15.5-16+?/20

Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 2007: Just a touch of residual sulphur here too. Very broad on the palate, fresh and fleshy, but honeyed with some complexity too. Balanced and direct, with a very nice impact. Overall, very good potential. 16.5-17+/20

Schloss Lieser Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Sonnenuhr Auslese lange Goldkapsel 2007: Bright, minerally, full of sweet fruit but again some sulphur still showing here. A lovely style on the palate though, rich and creamy, dense and honeyed, but stylish. There are some well-covered acids. Overall this is very impressive. 17-17.5+/20

Reinhold Haart Piesporter Riesling Feinherb Haart to Heart 2007: This is made from estate-grown plus a little purchased fruit. On the nose it is showing mainly sulphur at the moment. The palate is firm, with a rather bitter structure. I find the sulphur to be fairly dominant here also. I think this is difficult to judge at present. Not rated.

Reinhold Haart Piesport Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett 2007: Another wine displaying some sulphur still, although the palate is really shining. It is fresh, minerally, with piles of acid underneath. Direct and focused, I find this very impressive for the Prädikat. It has richness, depth, but good Kabinett freshness. 16.5-17+/20

Reinhold Haart Piesport Grafenberg Riesling Spätlese 2007: More minerals here, a very bright and direct style, with a lovely weight and a broad, fleshy style. This is rich and stylish, with good acidity to back it up. A complete presence, impressive freshness, pure flavours and fine texture. Really very good indeed. 17-17.5+/20

Reinhold Haart Piesport Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese 2007: There are punnets of pale golden fruits on the nose here, and this enticing character is backed up on the palate which is bright and clean, and similarly packed with flavour. Hugely impressive, this has a beautiful, expressive character presented on a very fine texture. Excellent wine. 17.5-18+/20

Reinhold Haart Piesport Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese 2007: A beautiful presence in the glass, bright, but it has a rich and creamy nature also. It is direct, with minerals and grip, but is also in possession of lots of texture and complexity. Another success in a generally excellent portfolio. 17.5-18+/20

Dr Loosen Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Kabinett 2007: This isn't showing a great deal of expression on the nose at present, with some quiet and stony fruit the most it is currently giving. The palate, however, has a fresh, herby style with a very clean, fleshy, impressive presence. The substance carries through to the finish. Appealing and I suspect this will be very easy to drink. 16-16.5/20

Dr Loosen Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett 2007: Again this is not such an expressive wine on the nose, but again the palate is plainly in possession of a very rich, full, fat and fleshy style. There are lots of flavours here, and a good length too. As with the Bernkasteler I think this will be a very easy going Kabinett. 16-16.5/20

Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese 2007: A salty-minerally nose, and little else showing here. Softly textured, open and accessible on the palate, with a gentle, rather pillowy character. Attractive, but it seems rather less focused than some of the other Spätlese-level wines on show today. 16-16.5/20

Dr Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese 2007: An attractive, bright and delicate wine here, bright and fresh, and showing some firm acids on the palate. It has plenty of appeal, and there is some substance underneath it too. A real step up in quality from the Kabinetts. Good potential here. 17-17.5+/20

Dr Loosen Erdener Prälat Riesling Auslese 2007: This wine bears the distinctive label, depicting the prälat himself, which dates to the 19th Century says Ernie Loosen. A lovely firm character on the nose, although in quite a delicate style, with better acidity than I expected. Very fine character, pear fruit, stylish but upright, well defined yet richly textured too. Excellent wine. 18-18.5+/20

As is the norm with this estate older vintages were shown, in this case wines from 2004, 2005 and 2006. Suffice to say that the 2005 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel was the wine that really stole the show.

Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 2004: Despite four years this is still wearing a little sulphur. A nice style is evident underneath it though. Rather complete in character, gentle, plainly very young and in need of cellar time. But there is much appealing quality here. 16-16.5+/20

Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 2004: Again, sulphur evident on the nose, although with plenty of bright and acidic fruit beneath. It is delicate, clean, minerally and has tingly acids. Then it seems softer, more gentle, not so much substance, with lots of bright character. Good potential. 16-16.5+?/20

Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2004: Dense and minerally, although again with a streak of sulphur yet to subside. Great, bright acidity on the palate, fine weight, elegant, stylish, overall a lovely composition. Clean, long and balanced. Not very expressive but this will come with time. 16-16.5+/20

Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2006: A not very expressive nose here, it is stylish and gentle in its character, showing a slightly bitter element but certainly some good grip beneath. Rather diffuse midpalate. There are elements here that appeal, and there is subtlety too. Overall very good, but perhaps not revealing its true potential here today. A conservative score. 16.5-17+?/20

Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 2005: Rather quiet on the nose in terms of aromas, showing just a little honeyed fruit, but there is also the sensation of density, of richesse. Despite this on the palate it is very lightfooted, pure, elegant and delicately balanced. Great potential here, a combination of style and substance. A really excellent and yet hugely understated wine. 18.5-19+/20