Last month I spent a few hours tasting through the 2008s (plus a few other vintages) with Laurence Faller at Domaine Weinbach. This was a marvelous experience, and Laurence was extraordinarily tolerant of my incessant questioning (and the length of my stay!). She shared many thoughts on the 2008 vintage, especially vis-à-vis the 2007 vintage. During this interview, Laurence also told me about some changes in the biodynamic certification requirements (specifically those for Demeter, which will be fodder for a future post) and how they are likely to affect Weinbach. As for the wines? They were absolutely radiant. Read on:

2008 Sylvaner Réserve (*)
Beautiful fruit-draped acids that power the wine--a long sensibility...i.e., not spritzy but not fat (as some are lately)

2008 Pinot Blanc Réserve (*)
Fascinating and vivid--aroma is actually well-delineated (uncommon in Pinot Blanc but the high Auxerrois content--70%--gives the fragrance clarity), lemon curd and graham. A dynamite wine, would be very useful thanks to its relatively prominent zing.

2008 Riesling Réserve Personnelle (?)
Edgy...edgy...jumpy is perhaps a better descriptor. Boy do I recognize this kind of Riesling--but it's not in focus yet. This needs to settle down, the brittleness factor is quite high. In a year this will have calmed down (or it usually does), so I'll revisit it then.

2008 Riesling Cuvée Théo (**)
From the old vines in the Clos des Capucins--where the preceding wine was jumpy, this one is very tight and closed off. After ten minutes of swirling while Laurence was hunting for something, a marmalade aroma emerged--lime marmalade, with shortbread and shale. Flavors never really relaxed, but this has never, never been a wine for early consumption (except perhaps '03). Get six of this one for the cellar.

2008 Riesling Schlossberg (**)
Beautiful, tense, and yet very friendly. Not in a welcoming way...more like someone waving hello as they drive past. Great mysterious character, tactile yet tensile.

2007 Riesling Cuvée Ste.-Cathérine (**+)
Blooming and more giving--more inclusive and warmly receiving than the preceding wine. Such a grand expression--a principle character difference between 2008 and 2007.

2008 Riesling Schlossberg Cuvée Ste.-Cathérine (**)
A glorious wine to experience, despite its current austerity. Rocky minerality and fruit tinged by orange pekoe. This is really lovely.

2007 Riesling Schlossberg Cuvée Ste.-Cathérine (**)
This is a roomier wine than the '08. Again the feeling of greater personal warmth is the difference. Oddly, I don't prefer this to the other. I might prefer to use them differently, but the charms of each are unique enough that they don't merit much more than an academic comparison.

2008 Riesling Schlossberg Cuvée Ste.-Cathérine «l'Inédit» (**+)
Yowza! Fatter, inspiring, mind-alerting flavors. This is really a serious wine. Its residual sugar is minimal this year, but it still maintains the richer style. All of this within the sleeve of the '08 vintage, so more lithe than the 2007s are.

2008 Pinot Gris Cuvée Ste.-Cathérine (**)
Extraordinary depth for this cuvée--I wonder if 2008 has favored Pinot Gris? We'll see.... Elegant wine, yet it is easy-to-get-into (i.e., not slutty). Wonderful golden fruit flavors and the color has the barest trace of pinkish-grey to the golden hue.

2008 Pinot Gris Altenbourg (**)
Amazing zing of acidity, long and lovely wine with exceptional extraction and depth, hinted at by the beautiful color. A great Altenbourg.

2008 Gewurztraminer Cuvée Théo (*)
This wine is dry, without bitterness. Makes my mouth water--more of the rose petal than litchi nut aroma, as the aroma, while grand, comes off as rather delicate (for Gewurz). Wonderful rosemary-like savory notes dominate the floating finish.

2008 Gewurztraminer Altenbourg (**)
More opulent than the Théo, and is more oriented toward litchi nut spiciness. Has a lifted essence, a moving trait. It makes me happy.

2005 Gewurztraminer Altenbourg Vendanges Tardives (***)
Speaking of moving...this is more moody though. What a feisty wine--acidity is excellent, spicy...there is an orange zest element here, along with rosehips and raspberry leaf tea. Sugar is seamlessly part of this one. This fits in the why wait to drink category, though I'm sure another five years would be rewarding.

2007 Riesling Schlossberg Sélection de Grains Nobles (***)
Glorious resplendence, yet an introspective essence suffuses the experience. How can you beat Riesling in this form when it is made this well?

2007 Gewurztraminer Mambourg Sélection de Grains Nobles (***)
The Fallers recently acquired holding in this Grand Cru is used expressly (so far) for late harvest wines. What a sensuous wine. Hard to imagine Gewurztraminer being even more exotic than it usually is, but this wine smells like I should have it while walking through the spice section of a Moroccan souk. Fabulous flavor, maintains a luscious zip throughout. What an intense and yet amicable wine!

2005 Pinot Gris Altenbourg Quintessence de Grains Nobles Cuvée d'Or (***)
This certainly deserves the doubly specific designation (Quintessence being better than Sélection, and «Cuvée d'Or» being a sub-selection of the Quintessence!) on the label. I'm running out of energy to care about scribbling superlatives, this wine has so much of my attention. It might make you feel as though you are lying in the hay with a lover, after...well, you know what I mean. Now, back to the wine!

Popularity: 11% [?]

I went to Zind-Humbrecht in Turckheim last month and met with cellar master Olaf Richter, as Olivier Humbrecht was out of town. Olaf is an affable, ingratiating man who has worked a circuitous path outside of the wine world en route from the Pfalz (across the Rhine) to this extraordinary domaine, where he has soaked in more than just wine. We talked at length about many things, wine and beyond, and--as you might expect--we tasted through many, many wines (I'll publish my complete tasting notes soon).

An Astounding Beginning
We tasted through more than twenty of the estate's 2007s, and it would be difficult--because of such uniformly high quality--to single out one wine, except for the one that would stand out because it doesn't belong: a Chardonnay. The Chardonnay is from the Clos Windsbuhl, a vineyard famous for Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Gewurztraminer. And here they've made this extraordinary Chardonnay, so perhaps Chard should be added to the list of permissible grape varieties?!?! Since it is not on that list, it is relegated to Vin de Table status, and the vintage date may not be printed on the label. This is ludicrous, as such a seriously made wine has no business not being recognized as such, which Vin de Table isn't. M. Humbrecht made this wine from strictly controlled yields from vines in a vineyard cherished for the quality of regionally permitted varieties, and it spent some time in two- to three-year-old barrels obtained from a grower in Burgundy. In context, it hardly seems like Alsace wine when you taste it, but it is not like any Chardonnay I've ever had, either. It is a fascinating wine, combining elements of juniper, mint, and ginger into a serious, incredibly expressive wine that is unmistakably Chardonnay. This wine was but a harbinger of the things to come.

Looking for the Mystery
The wines that I found most stimulating were those that seemed to be hiding their hand. There were five (of eight) Rieslings that conjured this feeling in me, Clos Häuserer, Heimbourg, Clos Windsbuhl, Rangen-Clos St.-Urbain, and Brand Vieilles Vignes; two Pinots Gris, Clos Windsbuhl and Rangen-Clos St.-Urbain; two Gewurztraminers, also from Clos Windsbuhl and Rangen-Clos St.-Urbain. The sense of mystery in these wines was mentally and emotionally energizing and unsettling. They seemed to express qualities reminiscent of a scratch lottery ticket...with each passing year, more of the layer obscuring the prize is scraped away. At the same time, all the elements were there, you can taste them, draped like many curtains over the final goal. When they align to express their true nature, each in its own way, what a reward there will be!

A Few Bargains
The 2007 Pinot Gris Calcaire is a standout for value--it is "declassified" Pinot Gris from young vines in Clos Windsbuhl and Heimbourg. It would be incredibly useful at the table, as would both the Riesling Turckheim and the Riesling Herrenweg. The Gewurztraminer from Gueberschwihr, from vines adjacent to the Goldert Grand Cru, is a also a great value.

The Nectar of the Gods
There has been a trend in Alsace towards cultivating specific vineyards or plots only for the production of late harvest wines. Domaine Weinbach uses Gewurztraminer from the Grand Cru Mambourg in this manner, and Bruno Sorg uses its Gewurztraminer from the Grand Cru Florimont this way as well. Zind-Humbrecht cultivates Pinot Gris in the Clos Jebsal for this purpose alone, and this is one of the vineyards about which I was most curious. It is within sight of the winery, planted entirely with Pinot Gris, lies just below the Heimbourg vineyard, and is adjacent to the Grand Cru Brand.

The wines from this vineyard were radiant, golden expressions of sun, rain, and honey. The 2007 Sélection de Grains Nobles is an extraordinary, moving wine, with its sweetness taking a back seat to the rich panoply of flavors that cross your tongue (but don't think it is low on sugar!). Extraordinary doesn't fairly describe the 2006 Sélection de Grains Nobles Trie Spéciale, the flavors of which continually returned in waves...the finish slowly subsides, only to return a few minutes later. A wonderfully sensuous experience. One final note--from further south on the same hillside, I tasted the 2007 Riesling Brand Sélection de Grains Nobles...I wrote in my notebook, "I'm just going to sit and enjoy this one awhile." Now that's a great wine.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Anderson Valley is not just the home of some of the United States' most compelling Pinot Noirs, it is also the home of some exciting wines in an Alsatian style. Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, you'll find these grown here, but at this festival you'll find producers from around the world in attendance, showcasing their versions of Alsace wine--from the Pacific Northwest to New Zealand, and Germany to, yes, Alsace. For more information on this great event, which takes place in two weeks--February 20 & 21--visit the Anderson Valley Winegrowers Association.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Nine Varieties--Each Bearing Its Own Name, Grand Cru...or Not
There are eight varietal denominations permitted under AOC Alsace: Chasselas, Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Pinot, Tokay-Pinot Gris (now officially just Pinot Gris), Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Sylvaner. Auxerrois has functioned as a phantom variety under the broad shouldered "Pinot" label, and has in the past been called 'Pinot Auxerrois' to ensure its use. Auxerrois yields such unique wine that it deserves the credit, and though it is not officially sanctioned under the law, more estates market Auxerrois eponymously each year. [There is a tenth variety that parades under the moniker of Klevener de Heiligenstein. This is actually an AOC Village wine made from the Traminer grape, and only permitted within the confines of the commune of Heiligenstein.]

With this range of wines permitted, all Alsatian producers sell a lineup of most of these wines. Most of these estates make at least a second tier: cuvées that they determine to be superior to a 'generic' varietal labeling, designated as a Reserve of some sort. After 1975, the Grands Crus further cluttered the stable of wines that estates offer, granting those lucky enough to hold some Grand Cru land another stratum of wine excellence to purvey. Alsace does not have a 'Premier Cru' tier like that of Burgundy, so the single-vineyard designation has become an important tool that estates can use to signify higher quality between Grand Cru and Réserve Personnelle.

I do not believe that a wine should be "pigeon-holed" in a way that makes any variance seem out of normal character. However, I do feel that there is a baseline sense of expression that a grape may have from a given macro-terroir (Yes, I know, that oxymoronic term alone flies in the face of the notion of terroir, but I'm using it in its secondary definition.) The basic character of each of the AOC Alsace grapes are as follows:

• Auxerrois--when yields are kept under control, a honeyed, spicy, buttered quality that is richer and more well-delineated than Pinot Blanc.
• Chasselas--Singing with freshness, it can be reminiscent of inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc, and a delight to drink; most is blended into Edelzwicker.
• Gewurztraminer--voluptuous and intensely aromatic, and odds are 50-50 that it will contain residual sugar; becomes more warming and gingerbread-like with maturity.
• Muscat--Intensely aromatic, bone-dry wine with fresh orange blossom scents when young; acquires a caraway tone when 10+ years old.
• Pinot d'Alsace--which is usually a blend (which can include the three Pinots and Auxerrois) that is too often underrated; succulent wine with a pie spice notion is common.
• Pinot Blanc--aroma is diaphanous, but flavors are commonly of rich and velvety yellow fruits.
• Pinot Gris--Has a more majestic quality than Auxerrois, but a some common flavors which are recast by this variety's higher acidity with a peach or apple essence.
• Pinot Noir--Made more seriously than in the past, but is often a lightweight, light-colored wine; when it is a deep red, it can still maintain a white wine freshness.
• Riesling--Generally bone dry, the best wines need a few years to ameliorate the intense lime-flavored acids, opening into a radiant, elegant, wine muscular enough to serve with beef.
• Sylvaner--in Alsace this variety is plump with a lemongrass and lentil quality.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Crémant d'Alsace
Crémant d'Alsace is Alsace's answer to Champagne. It is sparkling wine made in the method of Champagne, usually of Pinot Blanc with some Pinot Gris added in for definition. It is usually an incredible value, rarely topping $20, and always a first-class wine to serve at any festive occasion where finances are tight, or for many different foods: Alsace wines are incredibly food friendly, and Crémant d'Alsace is no exception.

And Now for the Really Obscure...
There are other styles of wine in Alsace, from Vin de Paille and Vin de Glace, which don't officially exist, to some AOC Village wines that are worth knowing about. The first is Klevener de Heiligenstein, made from the Traminer Grape, which is, according to some, the same as the Savignin Blanc grape that is widely grown in the Jura. The Klevener de Heiligenstein has so little in common with Savignin that many have balked at this, and after some analysis, it would appear that it is actually Savignin Rosé, a mutation of Savignin Blanc. A good Klevener de Heiligenstein resembles a rather demure version of Gewurztraminer.

The other AOC Village wines are made of Pinot Noir under labels like Rouge d'Ottrott, Rouge de Rodern, Rouge de St.-Hippolyte, Rosé de Marlenheim, and Rosé de Turckheim. The rosés generally offer a tasty rosé experience. The reds are rather insignificant, though I have had a Rouge de St.-Hippolyte that was a fine welterweight red. That it was from the excruciatingly hot 2003 vintage may have contributed to its richer texture and juiciness, but the man pouring it for me told me that Rouge de St.-Hippolyte is always better than the others. I wonder what someone from Ottrott or Rodern would say?

Vins de Pays in Alsace and the Vins de Table
There are two départements for Vin de Pays in Alsace--Vin de Pays du Bas-Rhin and Vin de Pays du Haut-Rhin. The same varieties allowed for AOC Alsace are permitted in the Vins de Pays. Those who are just outside the bounds of AOC Alsace make Vins de Pays. The wines have to be submitted for approval, but there is not much wine released every year under either of the Vins de Pays, in part because not many growers want to work outside of the AOC for the rather humbly perceived Vins de Pays.

Vins de Table are wines made from varieties not allowed in AOC Alsace or Vins de Pays. Chardonnay is represented in limited quantities in Alsace, but is not permitted for AOC wine, so it turns any AOC variety into a Vin de Table when it is in a blend. Vins de Table are non-vintage wines, whether the fruit is from a single vintage or not. Zind-Humbrecht makes a fine Vin de Table called "Zind" that is a blend of Chardonnay and other more typical Alsatian varieties.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Like Après-Ski without the Broken Leg
...or more accurately...
The Route to the Stickies
...starting with...
Vendange Tardive
There is a late harvest program in Alsace that is graded in two tiers. The first is the Vendange Tardive, which is often made from multiple passes through the vineyards (in which case it would be Vendanges Tardives) to pluck out the appropriate grapes for the kind of wine the estate would like to make. A Vendange Tardive (VT) must be pure varietal wine, no matter where it is from (Grand Cru or not), and only the four noble grapes (Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris, and Riesling) may be used. There are minimum requirements for grape sugars at harvest for the four varieties that must be met, and if they don't then no sugar may be added to meet the minimums (a common if misguided technique called chaptalization, usually used to make up for a cold growing season in non-late-harvest wines). There is also a specifically dictated date (a ban de vendange) after which growers may pick grapes that they plan to use for VTs. This is flexible year by year, and estates can appeal for an earlier picking date should their ripeness levels be ready for that. They also have to pass a tasting examination after they have been bottled. Jean Hugel led the charge on this, and you can read about it here.

Vendanges Tardives are typically not affected by botrytis cinerea, a.k.a. 'noble rot', though in some vintages this does happen. Vendanges Tardives are generally marked by the affects of a vine shutting down (i.e., sap recedes to the roots and the grapes begin to dry out on the vine. This process, known as passerillage, yields a spectacularly different wine from a wine that may have been picked a month earlier with similar sugar levels at harvest. Tasting a non-VT against a typical VT, there's no contest--the Vendanges Tardives wins every time.

Vendanges Tardives wines are a bit strange for consumers: it is difficult to predict which wine will be dry and which will be sweet without knowing the estate, and sometimes even then surprises may happen. However, I doubt anyone would really be able to tell much difference between a dry and a sweet Vendange Tardive, if only because the nature of the wine obscures any reasonable sugar content. Thanks to the tasting panel that approves the VTs, it is easier to rely on quality.

Makes Your Lips Tremble & Palms Sweat--Sélection de Grains Nobles
The context-oriented wines of Alsace--the sweet dessert wines, in other words--are the latest harvest known as Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN). They are extremely rare and highly prized, and as a result are outrageously expensive to make your heart skip a beat or three. Of course, the flavor result is just as glorious as could be imagined, and this may ease the financial pain. Botrytis cinerea is the principle essence behind these wines. Alsace is not the ideal climate for this to happen, however, so part of the expense involved in these wines is due to the erratic nature of botrytis in this part of France. Like VTs, SGNs also have minimum sugar content levels, but these levels are set far below what they should be. A tasting panel also sits in judgment of these wines, but I don't feel this body is as strict with the definition of SGN as they should be. However, to do follow the letter of the law, if not the spirit of it.

Quality-conscious estates far exceed the sugar minimums proscribed by EU statutes, and some have even created new categories of SGN. Trimbach calls their extraordinary cuvées "Sélection de Grains Nobles Hors Choix", while at Weinbach they use "Quintessence de Grains Nobles". The quality of Sélection de Grains Nobles has improved immeasurably over the past thirty years, but this category is less well-regulated than the Vendanges Tardives, and so one need be careful, especially when buying a cheaper one. On the import market, things are better, as importers have no desire to sit on inventory if the word gets out that a wine is not up to expectations.

One of the most interesting things about SGNs is how hardy they are. I have had some that have clearly undergone some degree of oxidation, yet they taste as fresh and lively as they could. They appear to me to be more resilient than Sauternes, which is saying something. I have also had a fifty-year-old SGN of Pinot Gris so fresh and effulgent that you'd swear it had been made last year, had you not been weeping from the emotional roller-coaster that the flavors are putting you through. Or at least, that's how I reacted.

Popularity: 6% [?]