2015 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese Herzlay ** AP 10

Honeydew melon liqueur laced with pear drops, mint and sassafras make for an attention-getting nose and a richly endowed palate that’s almost syrupy but delivers delightfully cooling mintiness and juicy, tingling pineapple. The delicate finish is soothingly sustained, and the sense of sweetness backs off slightly to permit full appreciation of its fruity generosity and trigeminal stimulation. (Apparently the Christoffel label has not yet caught up with the recent official registration of this site under its cadaster spelling of “Herzlei.”)