2004 Altenberg de Bergheim

From a Grand Cru-rated and traditionally great Gewurztraminer site which Deiss has here densely-planted with the entire range of Alsace cepages, his 2004 Altenberg de Bergheim is redolent of honey, lily, baking spices, orange liqueur and citrus zest. With tremendous polish, richness and honeyed botrytis character on the palate, this has an underlying density suggestive of minerality and presumably going far to explain why nearly three-digit residual sugar results in a wine that is certainly sweet but not overbearingly so. Candied citrus, orange liqueur and marmalade, peach preserves, nut paste, honey, and vanilla, along with doughy richness and buttery texture give this wine a patisserie character – if one simply imagines dustings of chalk dust instead of flour. It finishes with remarkable lift and elegance for a wine of such sheer richness. Jean-Michel Deiss has been growing some of the finest wines in Alsace for more than a quarter century and with them – as well as with his passionately articulate discourse – capturing the imagination and affection of wine enthusiasts world-wide. But the bearded sage of Bergheim is never satisfied, and beginning in the late eighties, he began to completely re-think his wines and means of truly embracing his terroirs. The result was new acquisitions and plantings to achieve (beginning a decade ago) single-vineyard, field-blend bottling the likes of which had scarcely been seen in Alsace for the better part of a century, and to certain of which the governing authorities have recently been persuaded (perhaps as much by Deiss’ metaphysics of terroir as by the profundity of his vinous results) to grant the status “Grand Cru.” Deiss’ special “vins de terroir” are released only after he judges them to have had sufficient time in bottle to being to show their personalities (with the 2005s only appearing in 2007). Two thousand five, incidentally, was one of the smallest harvests in this estate’s history, and fraught with difficulty, Deiss reports. Even with “varietally-“ labeled wines, Deiss can display unorthodoxy. Time only permitted me a too-brief taste of three from among Deiss’s recent nobly sweet releases, none of which one should even think about drinking for years. A 2004 Gewurztraminer V.T. from the Altenberg and Burg displayed pungent aromatics, great sweetness, and a tactile phenolic presence. I found the new wood on a 2005 Pinot Gris S.G.N. rather intrusive. And while there was no questioning the sheer concentration, viscosity, and sweetness of Deiss’ 2005 Gewurztraminer “Quintessence” – a wine selected berry-by-shriveled berry from the Altenberg and vinified in a tiny tank – it is never easy to judge such elixirs as wine even under the best of conditions. All things considered, I have elected to defer my responsibility for assessing the nobly sweet wines at this address for a later occasion. Importer: Vintus, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000

(includes all the Alsace varieties planted at a very dense 12,000 vines per hectare) Fairly pale color. Bright aromas of lemon cream and powdered stone. Sweet and sappy, with strong acids giving lift to the captivating, superconcentrated flavors of pink grapefruit and tropical fruits. Slightly musky, with a suggestion of dried fig in the middle. Finishes dry and tactile, with outstanding persistence. Deiss says this wine always carries between 80 and 100 grams of r.s. but the impression here is much drier than that.