We held the final tastings of the Rheingau at Eltvinum the day before my flight to Shanghai. Although there were many impressive Rieslings, it would appear that - at the same latitude - the Nahe was slightly more consistent across the board, with better focus and more clarity of fruit. Not surprisingly, Breuer, Künstler and Leitz played their hands 'dry', while Weil retained his title in the stickies category. Schloss Johannisberg was excellent across the whole range. There were also a bevy of sumptious 2009 Pinot Noirs, led by Kesseler and the Domäne, but I will be interested to see how this German interpretation will fare in comparison to those of the southern Pfalz and Baden, which are more Burgundian in character, at our annual finals in two weeks. In the past, the partisans took sides and discussions that began in jest ended with swords drawn…Comments