Albert Mann Furstentum Pinot Gris, Alsace Grand Cru, France

阿伯曼酒莊富騰特級園灰皮諾白葡萄酒

點擊次數(shù)：7272

The 2004 Pinot Gris Furstentum reflects the domaine’s preference in recent years for fermenting this cuvee in (one-third new) barriques, and allowing malo-lactic fermentation to take place in some of the barrels. Scents of lanolin, resin, toasted nuts and peach set the stage for a rather Burgundian palate of richness, amplitude, waxy texture, and lees. Salt, resin, peach pit and toasted nuts compliment the wine’s peachy richness of finishing fruit, but I marginally miss the juiciness of the non-barrique wines and find the hint of sweetness (albeit from a mere ten grams of residual sugar) a touch awkward in the present context. A couple of additional years in bottle may well better knit this impressively concentrated wine. In the nearly two decades since this domaine was consolidated, the Barthelme brothers – Jacky and Maurice – have maintained their position near the forefront of Alsace viticulture, farming a range of relatively far-flung and outstanding vineyards, as well as offering excellent value virtually throughout their range. The Barthelmes are especially enthusiastic about their 2004s – and with good reason – wines whose honeyed richness and generosity of fruit sometimes make for vintage character more recognizable than that of the grape variety. The brothers believe that the strength of 2005 lies in nobly sweet wines (not all of which I have yet tasted). But when asked about what it was like to optimize these vintages, Maurice Barthelme gestured to his increasingly bald head! The brothers are very conscious of the need to promote ripeness while inhibiting sugar-retention and hard at work experimenting with ways (including certain bio-dynamic practices) they think might solve this arguably definitive wine growing dilemma of our time. (Inexplicably, Barthelmes did not sample me on their Riesling from the Rosenberg, and I apologize for having realized this omission too late to remedy it.) The Barthelme brothers have continued a serious passion for Pinot Noir, their parcels in the Hengst having been joined by a tiny plot of forty year old vines in Eguisheim’s Pfersigberg and one recent planting elsewhere. Wines from both of these new plots were promisingly concentrated and fresh-fruited in 2005, although somewhat over-burdened (at least at this early stage) by their respective loads of wood.Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800