The 2005 Gewurztraminer Sonnenglanz Selection de Grains Nobles offers a more truffly, noble note of fungus in the nose than its Pinot Gris counterpart, along with candied lemon and orange zest, wood smoke, honey, litchi, and an impressive distillation of sweet floral essences. Here is a wine that succeeds in spite of its sweetness, possessing a veritable whiplash of bright citrus in the finish that is almost unheard of with this variety and that eliminates any threat that this formidably viscous wine might become ponderous or cloying. Undeniably though, this is rather sweet-sour, with honey and caramel on the one hand and lemony citricity on the other, a bifurcation that I suspect will be resolved over time. One certainly need not fear forgetting it in the cellar for twenty or more years.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
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