The 2005 Riesling Vignoble de Bennwihr smells brightly of lime and tangerine, offers a lush, subtly honeyed but clear, pure palate, and finishes with the merest hint of sweetness. A good bit of the wine Michel Fonne crafts is bottled from the properties and under the name of his septuagenarian uncle, Rene Barth. The acreage Fonne inherited from his father only became completely free of commitments to the local coop in 2002, which means more in the near future of that too-scarce commodity: distinctively delicious yet modestly-priced Alsace wine. (Since at least 90% of the acreage of the Marckrain grand cru is tied up with the Bennwihr cooperative whose wines have proven uninspiring, Fonne’s recent releases offer rare glimpses of that chalky site’s potential. Domaine Weinbach has also recently acquired a parcel.) Vinification here is with few exceptions in stainless steel, bottling completed by September, but release often only after a year or two in bottle. It gives me great pleasure to be able to recommend this outstanding, affordable, and as yet largely unheralded source.An Alain Blanchon Selection, New York, NY; tel. (267) 474 6629
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