The 2005 Gewurztraminer Saering offers aromas of candied grapefruit rind, bacon fat, rose petal, and abundant resinous herbs. Lush, full, and persistently juicy, this displays remarkable clarity for a wine of such richness, finishing with saline, chalky mineral nuances, long on highly smoky bacon and pungent but never truly bitter herb and citrus zest character. Despite 13 grams of residual sugar, this tastes to all intents and purposes dry. Here is a versatile, well-tuned Gewurztraminer Organ playing harmoniously in all registers – floral, animal, fruit, and mineral – and capable of delivering superb, resonant performances over at least the next fifteen years. So enormous is the range of wines nowadays grown at the combined Dirler and Cade domaine that I did not have the time to taste them all. (All of those I did taste are at least mentioned in the text.) Along with the involvement of the new generation – Jean Dirler and his wife Ludivine (nee Cade) – the entire domaine has been farmed biodynamically since 1998 (and parts of the Kessler and Kitterle with horse), a factor the family thinks especially beneficial given the climatic extremes that have prevailed in recent years. Riesling and Pinot Gris are generally fermented in foudre here, and other whites usually in tank. Very few families of Alsace wine have exhibited long-term the consistent quality and age-ability one can expect of those bottled under the Dirler name.Importer: Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 757-8185