The Dirler-Cade 2009 Riesling Spiegel surprises in the context of what preceded it in the present collection – though less-so in the context of the vintage as a whole – by being unabashedly sweet (at 36 grams residual sugar). Impressions of quince, mirabelle, and honeydew melon are to be sure rendered in some sense authentic by that sweetness. The herbal concentration so prominent among the estate’s 2009s takes the candied form of licorice. I miss a sense of primary sap in this performance, although it is certainly imposing in its voluminous, sweet way. Plan to drink it within the next half dozen years. As usual chez Dirler, I was forced during my most recent visit to take a slightly abbreviated tour of the two most recent collections on account of this family’s sheer multitude of bottlings, but it is clear from their 2008s that this remains one of the most frequently exciting – and generally consistent – sources of wine in Alsace, making it unfortunate that one doesn’t see Dirler-Cade wines more often in the U.S. Moreover, this is an estate that’s rendering highly distinctive; often deliciously unorthodox; but never fashion-pandering innovations while retaining a clear and constant vision of how the classic cepages of Alsace should perform in sites that can boast some of the longest – not to mention most-deserved – reputations of any in their region. All this having been noted, 2009 was a challenge even here: sometimes well-met, but seldom entirely surmounted. Rieslings were being harvested as early as mid-September, and Jean Dirler observes that had he cut back the crop on his Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer rather than allowing bunches to remain abundant, he would really have had a problem with sky-high potential alcohol. (For more on the Dirlers’ sites and methods, consult my reports on earlier vintages.)Importer: Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 757-8185
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