Sage, mint, dill, and bergamot intensely scent the Ostertag 2008 Muscat d’Alsace Fronholz so that I suspect I would have mistaken it, blind, for a Scheurebe. Glossy yet with underlying firmness, its spread of herbal essences at once cooling and soothing, this finishes surprisingly softly and gently for its vintage and variety but with satisfying persistence. Plan on serving it over the next 3-4 years. (The corresponding 2009 was rather coarse and awkwardly bitter as well as surprisingly voluminous by comparison.) Andre Ostertag picked most of his 2008s in the second week of October – relatively early for that vintage – and only 8-10 days behind the period during which the bulk of his 2009s were brought in. “The central problem with 2009,” observes Ostertag, “was to achieve balanced dryness in the finished wines.” (He would exempt Gewurztraminer from that comment, because he always finishes it unapologetically sweet; though here too, as my tasting notes demonstrate, something to counterbalance residual sugar was wanting.) Ostertag calls 2008 “a classic vintage, in the manner of the 1980s (decade),” and on reflection came up with the vintage analogy that had most struck me, namely to 1988.Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524
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