Orange zest, brown spices, and peach preserves in the nose of Deiss’s darkened brass-hued 2006 Altenberg de Bergheim usher in an opulently rich, expansive, yet palpably high-extract palate, on which ethereal inner-mouth expressions of honeyed botrytis emerge, and pronounced sweetness compliments impressions of orange marmalade, peach preserves, and nougat. Yet beneath all of this almost gaudy richness lies a sense of chalk – which many will associated with the site – and for all of its viscosity and sheer sweetness, this finishes with reverberative length thanks to its spice and zest. Here is one of those rare 2006s that deserves long-term cellaring, certainly a decade at least. Deiss’s mind is made up that it’s simply the nature of Altenberg de Bergheim to be nobly sweet wine, “just as Sauternes is” and this offers a window onto how he proposes to answer the question of appellation. I told him “good luck trying to convince the other owners of Altenberg that it has to be nobly sweet.” Jean-Michel Deiss has been officially tasked with assisting his fellow Alsace growers in the drafting of new regional regulations and labeling conventions, in keeping with both France’s proposed move to a higher-order French appellation “d’Origine Protegee” and with the potential regional autonomy provided for (if inchoately) by recent EU legislation. As readers can imagine, Deiss’s vision involves a drastically diminished scope and roll for varietal bottling, analogous to his conception of Alsace crus as being best expressed by a blending of multiple cepages. (For more on the evolution of Deiss’s approach, consult my report in issue 175). Two things are indubitable: Alsace could use fresh approaches to labeling and marketing; and any Deiss proposal will have been thought-through all the way down to its historical and metaphysical levels. Deiss’s own line and labeling have been further simplified: beginning with 2006 his lower tier of wines is being bottled without village designations, leaving him more flexibility in blending. Although Deiss did not bottle a full compliment of his crus from the rot-challenged 2006 vintage, he said he was loath to pull back by settling his musts more aggressively of bottling earlier, “because the lees are the megaphone for the terroir.” Fair enough in principle, but the results were to say the least decidedly mixed, whereas Deiss’s 2007s represent a resounding success. (Deiss did not show me his lower-tier 2006s and I did not have chance to ferret any of them out from the marketplace.)Importer: Vintus, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000