From a high-elevation, flinty (and iron-rich) site as its name suggests, the 2004 Pinot Gris Rosenberg Silicis certainly offers not only variety-typical peach and toasted nuts, but indeed a certain hard-to-describe crushed stone pungency and smokiness such as I often associated with iron-rich soils. A rich, piquant, quite full-bodied palate leads to a slightly sweet but satisfyingly juicy finish of a sort one can by no means take for granted with Pinot Gris. (Here, 14% alcohol presents no problem. But separate 2004 Pinot Gris bottlings from the Pfleck and Herrenweg not significantly higher by analysis were marred by alcoholic heat.) The affable Francois Barmes vocally advocates biodynamic viticulture and earlier harvesting to achieve balanced wines of juicy fruit and digestabilite. That said, more than a few of those I tasted were big-bodied to say the least, and certain of them could not handle their alcohol.Importer: Sussex Wine Merchants, Moorestown, NJ; tel. (856) 608 9644; also, a Thomas Calder Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29.