#04-13, 7% abv. Well, the reports of the shutdown of 2012 riesling have been much exaggerated. We were all very surprised by how open this bottle was (that said, I've found that Himmelreich tends to be a bit more accessible young than Domprobst, as far as Schaefer is concerned). The nose has lovely white floral notes, and is expansive and light. The baby-fat is really prominent now, with a lot of juicy white peach notes on the palate. A slightly thick texture that does come off a bit fat, but there's ample acidity on the honeyed finish to keep things light.

#09-06, 7.5% abv. Initially, this had a surprisingly muted nose and palate, with a few floral elements poking through on the nose and palate. Moderately sweet, with some lemony acidity on the finish. Keith called it as corked from the get-go. I didn't agree, and thought it was just kind of dumb, but extended air brought out the wet cardboard. Sad.

#17-04, 7.5% abv. Candied peaches! Dense, sweet, and powerful, with a massive dose of botrytis here. As expected, this is a tad lower in acidity than most but it makes up for it in the monumental amount of extract that's here. Good minerality and lots of spice. Definitely veering towards the Beerenauslese side of things. Structured, rich, and massive; not cloying, but sufficiently concentrated that a small pour is more than sufficient. The more I've tasted wines from 2003, the more I think that there should be more of them in my cellar, especially at the higher Praedikate.

#05-14, 7.5% abv. Totally clear in colour, in contrast to the much more golden 2009 and 2010. Obviously super young right now, but man, is this showing electricity. It almost sizzles in the glass when you pour it, with the tell-tale pineapple gummi bear note that I commonly find in young Willi Schaefer wines. The acidity on this is searing, but balanced by a 2012-like quantity of sweet stone fruit. I don't think I managed to sneak in a 2012 of this wine before they shut down, but I imagine this must be a leaner version of its older sibling. No signs of botrytis at all here, this is linear, racy, balanced, and mouth-watering.

#05-11, 7.5% abv. Surprisingly darker colour than I would have expected. Likely there's a slight bit of botrytis here, given the darker colour and slight bit of spice. This is kind of gangly right now, with disjoint elements of acidity, spice, and sweetness showing one after another on the palate instead of in concert. There's no denying the quality of material though, and I'm confident that given some more time, this will mellow out. Definitely high acidity here, though I think the 2013 seemed to have even more.

#05-10, 7.5% abv. The ripest and roundest of the three #5s we had tonight. This is, for better or worse, drinking splendidly well right now, showing a lovely ripe golden apple character from the get-go. Slightly sweeter than the other two wines, this is showing a small wisp of secondary characteristics already. While this is almost certainly also a wine to last, the 2010 seems to have more of what it takes to go the distance. This bottle does come off a bit fleshy and with only moderate acidity, I'd rather put my bet on the 2010s.

#08-07, 7.5% abv. From half bottle. Massive is an understatement. This is one of the biggest rieslings I've had in a while. Honey, nectar, and spice in a concentrated golden mixture that coats the palate and tongue with ripe peaches, apples, golden raisins, and sweet citrus peel. The acid is not immediately apparent, but is hidden in a hidden reservoir that reveals itself towards the finish. Very dense, with a lovely undercurrent of slatey minerality as well. Needless to say, this finishes very, very long.

A slightly grassy nose, with some sweet golden apple notes as well, this is actually quite aromatic and entrancing. Always a good sign. The palate is very dense and powerful, taut with acidity and balance between some green herbs, granny smith apples, and some mineral elements. Not hot at all on the finish, this shows remarkable restraint despite all the dense elements and extract.