Marcel Deiss Gewurztraminer Bergheim Selection de Grains Noble

點擊次數：1529

The 2007 Gewurztraminer Selection De Grains Nobles Quintessence required more rigorous selection than that of 2006, says Deiss, in view of there having been less botrytis. He persists incidentally in describing the concentration of 2006 as “cool” and that of 2007 as “warm,” meaning this metaphorically rather than literally, whereas I generally think of it as the other way around, a perception reflected in many of my tasting notes. Here, however, I can appreciate the notion of “heat,” as this wine is intensely spicy from the nose on, with cinnamon stick and cinnamon candy, along with peach preserves and litchi. There is also the yin-yang of caramelized parsnip and black pepper spice. This finishes with amazing energy, penetration, and sheer persistence, but hasn’t – for now, anyway – the refinement, textural allure, complexity or remarkably buoyancy of the corresponding 2006. That said, one could expect to follow this formidable concentrate for at least 30 years I am sure, and things might look very different halfway along. Jean-Michel Deiss has been officially tasked with assisting his fellow Alsace growers in the drafting of new regional regulations and labeling conventions, in keeping with both France’s proposed move to a higher-order French appellation “d’Origine Protegee” and with the potential regional autonomy provided for (if inchoately) by recent EU legislation. As readers can imagine, Deiss’s vision involves a drastically diminished scope and roll for varietal bottling, analogous to his conception of Alsace crus as being best expressed by a blending of multiple cepages. (For more on the evolution of Deiss’s approach, consult my report in issue 175). Two things are indubitable: Alsace could use fresh approaches to labeling and marketing; and any Deiss proposal will have been thought-through all the way down to its historical and metaphysical levels. Deiss’s own line and labeling have been further simplified: beginning with 2006 his lower tier of wines is being bottled without village designations, leaving him more flexibility in blending. Although Deiss did not bottle a full compliment of his crus from the rot-challenged 2006 vintage, he said he was loath to pull back by settling his musts more aggressively of bottling earlier, “because the lees are the megaphone for the terroir.” Fair enough in principle, but the results were to say the least decidedly mixed, whereas Deiss’s 2007s represent a resounding success. (Deiss did not show me his lower-tier 2006s and I did not have chance to ferret any of them out from the marketplace.)Importer: Vintus, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000