Domaine Bott-Geyl Riesling Schoenenbourg, Alsace Grand Cru, France

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The Bott-Geyl 2004 Riesling Schoenenbourg smells of peaches, honey, brown spices, and peach kernel. On the palate, this is polished and oily, with a counterpoint of honeyed richness and cyanic bitterness, and with springs of fresh fruit acidity that help keep it lively, yet do not prevent a certain amount of bitterness and heat (from 14.5% alcohol) creeping into the finish. There is certainly an impressive sense of chalky minerality as well as an incipiently fusil note about this. (A vendange tardive-like Riesling from the Mandelberg – almost 15% alcohol despite having been picked early – was impressively dense but inexpressive on the occasion of my visit.) 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