The Breuer is straw-coloured, with a slightly sweet floral and musk nose. It’s a bit lean on the palate, with fresh acid which is persistent, but not overpowering.

The Loosen wine, similar in colour, has more of a lemon-liminess to it’s bouquet. It’s fresh and clean on the palate, with a prickliness verging on spritz. A bit short on the finish, but perhaps marginally preferable to Breuer.

The Roseneck is almost a pale green colour. The nose is soft and muted, perhaps offering a little flint and cold steel by way of aromas. It’s very dry on the palate, and has an almost floury texture – the acid is there but the fruit seems very ripe. The balance is all very front-palate though, although there’s respectable length on the finish.

Montosa, on the other hand shows some real spicy and green apple aromas. This is quite flavourful – rich and slithery on the palate. It’s broader than the first wine, and although seeming to lack the same purity of flavour is slightly more satisfying at this young age. It’s dry in absolute terms, but the fruit seems quite sweetly flavoured.

The Löwenstein is an old friend now, having sampled it at the ‘cellar door’ back in April. It’s a dark mid-straw colour, and has a very developed nose. It’s quite weighty on the palate, despite the relative lightness of the flavours – a wine that seems to be carried by an almost greasy mouthfeel and distinct aldehydic qualities. Moderate length finish.

The Dönnhoff is a very pale straw colour and has a lollywater nose. Despite this, it has surprising weight on the palate, with a hint of spritzy acid which dissipates surprisingly quickly. It’s very mouthwatering and gluggable, but not hugely profound.

The Jesuitengarten is a straw-green colour, with a nose of lifted green apple & lime. This is quite big, with grapefruit-type flavours which run through a weighty palate. An attractive and satisfying wine, but perhaps not great value for money at A$80, twice the price of anything we’ve tried so far.

The 2000, served from a handsomely tall magnum, showed a restrained wet slatey nose which followed through on the acid-driven palate. There’s some broadening of the texture as the wine lingers on the palate. Attractive body and good length.

The 2001 perhaps reflects the better vintage conditions – this has incredibly clean steely fruits carried by rapier-like acidity that positively dances on the tongue. It’s very young, and may not be quite so satisfying drinking as the 2000 at the moment, but will doubtless develop better.

Both these wines were a watery pale colour, with only a hint of straw. Gunderloch yielded tropical stonefruits with a splash of apricot. Gentle and delicate on the palate, the slight sweetness is carried by luminous acidity. Immensely drinkable.

The Loosen showed some spicy fruit salad aromas – almost reminiscent of a dry Hunter verdelho! The acid seemed softer than the Rothenberg and the wine perhaps less persistent. Still a very good wine, but Nackenheim takes the honours here.

Gunderloch’s palest straw colour has picked up a tinge of green here. The nose is faintly tropical and maybe even a bit sulphurous. There’s a flash of spritz, and the slatey acid carries all before it, with very little botrytis evident. Very palatable. My experience with young Auslese is really non-existent, so I assume these really need some years before singing their song properly.

Loosen’s wine is a bit appley – I don’t find much spice here at this stage. The sweetness in this wine seems to be fruity rather than sugary and gives the wine a weighty persistence. Trusting that sugar and acid will grow into a wondrous thing I guess…