Domaine Bott-Geyl Pinot Gris Sonnenglanz Vendanges Tardives, Alsace Grand Cru, France

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Suggestions of flambeed, caramelized, spiced peaches rise from the glass of Bott’s 2005 Pinot Gris Sonnenglanz Vendange Tardive. Viscous, oily, and caramelized on the palate and with gardenia-like inner-mouth perfume, this impressively-concentrated elixir – despite analytically high acidity – is ultimately tripped up by sheer sweetness, one of that increasing number of inscrutably sweet Alsace wines (think of this domaine alone!) that would require years in the bottle just to comprehend the direction in which its evolution is tending. Right now, we have enormous sweetness in search of resolution and enormous flavor intensity in search of an organizing principle. Young Jean-Christophe Bott is passionate about quality and unafraid to make sacrifices on its behalf. He has adopted a biodynamic regimen in the vineyards and is now holding most of his wines 6-24 months in bottle before release. Clarity and cleanliness run through all of these, and it is encouraging to taste so many Riesling that are uncompromisingly dry (although occasionally bitterness or alcohol intrude). Bott feels capable of encouraging dryness and balance in various ways in the vineyard and the cellar without ever intervening in or attempting to re-start sluggish fermentations. By no means all of the wines I tasted displayed strong personalities, but many of them gave reason to believe – as does Bott’s articulate advocacy – that this will be one of the more talked-about Alsace domains of the coming decade. Given the challenges that so many of his fellow-growers recorded with this variety in 2004, his success in bringing Gewurztraminer to subtly-ennobled ripeness in that vintage – while taking advantage of higher than usual acidities – is especially noteworthy.Importer: Eric Solomon Selections, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565