2001 Domaine Schoffit Tokay Pinot Gris Rangen Clos St. Theobald SGN Grand Cru

A 2001 Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Theobald Selection de Grains Nobles smells of brown-spiced peach preserves, honey, and caramel. Voluminously rich in the mouth, it exudes honey and caramel, yet preserves an element of fresh peach. The finish here is formidably long if still very much dominated by the wine’s high residual sugar. Bernard Schoffit’s 2004s are all to some degree marked by the vintage rains, but his Rangen de Thann vineyards were drenched for eight days in a row at the end of October, necessitating virtually wholesale de-classification of what little was picked. In his Harth vineyards just outside Colmar, it was the 2005 vintage that resulted in below normal yields, thanks to desiccation and botrytis. Schoffit generates opulent, rich, generally low-acid wines from the latter sites, as is perfectly illustrated by his “low end” wines. Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800

Liqueur-like aromas of peach, apricot, truffle and honey. Chewy and viscous but kept firm by its classic SGN concentration of acidity. Boasts huge fruit and more fat and sweetness than the 2001 version yet not at all over the top or aggressive. In fact, this comes across as rather stylish. Finishes very long and fine.