A three-way marriage of classic rose petal, litchi, and quince with both cooling herbal essences and the sort of maritime and kelp-like elements that seem to correlate with certain Westhalten and Soulzmatt soils make for a most intriguing and delicious (as well as unapologetically sweet) Kubler 2008 Gewurztraminer Zinnkoepfle. The trade-off with the corresponding 2009 is less effusive floral perfume and lushness, but greater interest and sheer persistence. This can be safely followed for most of a decade. Philippe Kubler is among the few Alsace growers I met to have elected – quite reasonably in my opinion – to market some of his 2009s ahead of (and others concurrent with) the corresponding 2008s. He notes that “the styles are dramatically different, and the 2008s deserve a year or longer in the bottle whereas the 2009s are ready to drink.” That said, I suspect that save for the V.T.s among them, Kubler’s 2008s aren’t really built for long aging.Importers include Chateau St. Martin, Bellevue, WA; tel. (425) 462 1717 and Wine Symphony, Inc., New York, NY; tel. (212) 226-8283