Domaine Marcel Deiss Mambourg, Alsace Grand Cru, France

苔絲美人酒莊曼堡干白葡萄酒

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From a dense inter-plantation of all of the Pinots, and vinified in barrique, Deiss’s 2007 Mambourg represents what little crop he could salvage from the ravages of hail. He gave me to understand this tiny lot was more for the record than for the market; nevertheless, the U.S. importer is offering it. High-toned distilled pit fruit esters, smoky black tea, citrus and brown spices in the nose lead into a pungently and firmly concentrated yet faintly oily palate. This finishes like an armed phalanx suited in leather, bathed in sweat, and raising a cloud of chalk dust. I could imagine it marching along for many years (Deiss thinks 15 or more), but once you do pull a cork, good luck trying to drink it before it drinks you! 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