Harvested – like its Furstentum counterpart – on October 9, and at 26 grams more obviously sweet than that sibling, the Mann 2009 Riesling Rosenberg features overripe peach and persimmon tinged with nutmeg and citrus zests; comes to the palate lush and creamy, brimming with peach, pineapple, and orange; and displays delightful counterpoint from spice and citrus rind impingement that persist in a stimulating, clinging finish. This beauty ought to be worth following for at least a decade. Although Maurice and Jacky Barthelme continued to pick their 2009 Rieslings into October and achieved satisfyingly ripe flavors, they did so without suffering high alcohol or unbalanced sweetness. Unsurprisingly (whether or not verifiably), they implicate the accumulated experience and effects of a biodynamic regimen in these results. Equally importantly, the levels of acidity in their 2009 Rieslings are ample and efficacious. With Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer, they were forced to discharge high must weights in the form of almost universally high residual sugar, with attractive if seldom distinguished results. The Mann 2008s are characterized by particularly concentrated and positively efficacious acidity, all of the Rieslings weighing-in at what on paper might look like an excessive 9 grams or more. Not only have the Barthelme brothers been together now for 21 vintages – to me it still seems like yesterday that I “discovered” their 1988s – but they point out that most of their present crew has been together for nearly a decade, which is bound to have been instrumental in their having been able to repeatedly expand into new vineyards without sacrificing the highest standards, not to mention with their enthusiasm still youthful.Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800

The Mann 2007 Riesling Rosenberg is another off-dry but impeccably balanced bottling, with pear nectar, pink grapefruit and lime informing the nose and a luscious, vibrant, practically vibratory palate, invigoratingly informed by citrus zest and a tactile sense of crushed stone. It’s a continuing source of mystery how this unassumingly flat, chalky patch (which, before it was incorporated into the official Rosenberg, was identified on the Mann label by its self-effacing traditional name “Pfleck”) can render such rich yet energetic Riesling. Feel free to follow this for two decades I have the 1988, which was a stunner from day one. To say that Maurice and Jacky Barthelme are bullish on their 2007s would be an understatement, as they seem to think that this is their best collection going all the way back to the wonderful 1988s with which they debuted in the U.S. (and a number of which I am still enjoying). Since they have been among those Alsace vintners most concerned with restraining sugar accretion while promoting ripe flavors, it’s understandable that they view 2007 as having been especially welcome when compared with other very recent vintages. “In September there was just enough rain; in October no rain; November was wonderful,” comments Jacky Barthelme, “so, we had time to harvest and to select.” Barthelmes were also among those growers who sold off a portion of their 2006 crop in bulk and declassified portions into generic bottlings, but the resulting bottlings are among the finest of that vintage, for which the brothers in part – unsurprisingly – credit biodynamic preparations and fruit that could be picked ripe early. My laudatory reviews of the (for this estate typically) outstanding value Mann Auxerrois Vieilles Vignes and Pinot Blanc bottlings of vintage 2007 can be found in issue 178.Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800