[Dinner with friends]

Nice meal Jim, but I have one quibble. You talk about the affordability of Donnhoff Spatlese then move on to Hirtzberger Singerrriedel. Even in 2002 I know which one is more expensive, and it's not the Donnhoff.

Of course I also know which one you prefer of those 2 fine Riesling producers. And I have my little bias as well.

[German Wine Availability]

Dick,

Many of the producers/sites you mention have indeed fallen on hard times. Some (e.g. von Simmern) are trying to come back, but progress is slow. If you are a fan of Rheingau wines I can highly recommend Weingut Josef Leitz. Leitz holds vineyards in the Rudesheimer Berg, including Schlossberg, Roseneck and Rottland (among others) and makes very high quality Rieslings. Johannes Leitz (the current generation) is a fantastic winemaker for all styles, Trocken to TBA, and he's had great success in 2000 (a rare feat indeed), 2001 (no surprise here) and 2002. The grapes in his sites were the best I saw on my recent trip to Germany. He has fantastic ripeness (both sugar and phenolic ripeness) and the grapes are still full of acidity.

Leitz is a Terry Theise import, and Bill Mayer at The Age of Riesling tends to carry the wines.