The 2005 Riesling Spiegel smells discretely but winsomely of cherry, lime, sage, lavender and chalk dust. Clear, bright, and invigorating, it nevertheless possesses a flattering suggestion of textural creaminess. In a fashion more familiar from the Wachau than Alsace, this Riesling really comes into its own in a soaring finish incorporating tactile mineral intensity, salt, wet stone, rich nut undertones and ringing cherry and lime. That it tastes dry despite its fifteen grams of residual sugar testifies to the wine’s ample acidity and impressive extract. Spiegel is traditionally the longest-keeper of the Dirler wines, and I would not hesitate to hold this example for a dozen or more years. (I am not worried about my own remaining 1988s, 1990s or 1991s.) So enormous is the range of wines nowadays grown at the combined Dirler and Cade domaine that I did not have the time to taste them all. (All of those I did taste are at least mentioned in the text.) Along with the involvement of the new generation – Jean Dirler and his wife Ludivine (nee Cade) – the entire domaine has been farmed biodynamically since 1998 (and parts of the Kessler and Kitterle with horse), a factor the family thinks especially beneficial given the climatic extremes that have prevailed in recent years. Riesling and Pinot Gris are generally fermented in foudre here, and other whites usually in tank. Very few families of Alsace wine have exhibited long-term the consistent quality and age-ability one can expect of those bottled under the Dirler name.Importer: Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 757-8185
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