Luscious and juicy in its ripe peach and melon fruit, the Bott-Geyl 2009 Pinot Gris Furstentum distinguishes itself from the corresponding Sonnenglanz by its sense of buoyancy and elegance as well as a better-integrated sweetness and a more focused, spice-tinged finish. Silken and glycerin-rich like its immediate sibling, this will definitely have appeal for those who value textural caress and sheer schmaltz in their Pinot Gris. That there is both a faint hint of heat and a smidgeon of extraneous sweetness could be taken as indicating that Bott achieved the best balance possible given his raw materials. Plan on drinking this over the next 4-6 years. “For me it was not a classic year for V.T. or S.G.N.,” says Jean-Christophe Bott of 2009. “There was very little botrytis, and when we started picking it was with the aim to make the best possible normal range. I found most of the Gewurztraminer very aromatic and fruity, but soft and lacking the depth of their sites; too much on the varietal side, so I preferred to mostly declassify, and also because in 2008 we had a great vintage whose wines really taste of their sites.” My judgment on 2008 is qualified. Detached tartness and decidedly fungal overtones suggest that in some instances fruit had to be harvested lest it succumb to botrytis. A measure of that fungal advance is that the nobly sweet wines in the present collection are enormously high in sugar and quite strongly marked by botrytis, yet represent the product of picking entire blocks rather than bunch-selection.Various importers, including Beaune Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 559 1040 and Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620

Bott’s 2008 Pinot Gris Furstentum displays very ripe, brown-spiced peach on a subtly creamy palate, yet at the same time is possessed of Riesling-like, lemony-bright acidity. For now, the impression is slightly inharmonious – and with 30 grams of residual sugar nearly cancelled-out – although there is no question this finishes with rapier penetration, ample refreshment, and energy to spare for at least the next decade. Toasted nuts and chalk add interest without in any way rendering this more youthfully user-friendly. The fruit was super-healthy asserts Bott, right up to its mid-October harvest, by which time it was also substantially wind-desiccated, explaining the high acidity and near-severity of this wine’s concentration. But, he readily admits, a rigorous sorting was required to remove under-ripe bunches. “For me it was not a classic year for V.T. or S.G.N.,” says Jean-Christophe Bott of 2009. “There was very little botrytis, and when we started picking it was with the aim to make the best possible normal range. I found most of the Gewurztraminer very aromatic and fruity, but soft and lacking the depth of their sites; too much on the varietal side, so I preferred to mostly declassify, and also because in 2008 we had a great vintage whose wines really taste of their sites.” My judgment on 2008 is qualified. Detached tartness and decidedly fungal overtones suggest that in some instances fruit had to be harvested lest it succumb to botrytis. A measure of that fungal advance is that the nobly sweet wines in the present collection are enormously high in sugar and quite strongly marked by botrytis, yet represent the product of picking entire blocks rather than bunch-selection.Various importers, including Beaune Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 559 1040 and Winebow, Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620

The 2005 Pinot Gris Furstentum offers pineapple, birch beer, and peach aromatics with a bracing suggestion of salinity. Quite luscious on the palate, it offers a clear, juicy, pungently spicy finish. With around thirty grams of residual sugar managing to come off as only slightly sweet, it’s clear that this has uncommon acidity for a Pinot Gris as well as formidable sheer density. I would not plan to revisit it for at least a couple of years, and would anticipate at least 5-7 years of interesting bottle evolution. Young Jean-Christophe Bott is passionate about quality and unafraid to make sacrifices on its behalf. He has adopted a biodynamic regimen in the vineyards and is now holding most of his wines 6-24 months in bottle before release. Clarity and cleanliness run through all of these, and it is encouraging to taste so many Riesling that are uncompromisingly dry (although occasionally bitterness or alcohol intrude). Bott feels capable of encouraging dryness and balance in various ways in the vineyard and the cellar without ever intervening in or attempting to re-start sluggish fermentations. By no means all of the wines I tasted displayed strong personalities, but many of them gave reason to believe – as does Bott’s articulate advocacy – that this will be one of the more talked-about Alsace domains of the coming decade. Given the challenges that so many of his fellow-growers recorded with this variety in 2004, his success in bringing Gewurztraminer to subtly-ennobled ripeness in that vintage – while taking advantage of higher than usual acidities – is especially noteworthy.Importer: Eric Solomon Selections, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565