The 1997 Pinot Blanc Bennwihr, a smoke, gravel, and mineral-scented wine, offers an appealingly rich character. This medium-bodied, chalk-filled, dry offering is crisp, focused, and fresh. Drink this excellent value over the next 2-3 years. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel (202) 832-9083.

The young, intense, energetic Jean-Michel Deiss has become one of the new Alsace superstars, as evidenced by the fact that seventy percent of his production is now exported and he has had to allocate many of his top wines. Along with Leonard and Olivier Humbrecht, Deiss is perhaps the greatest proponent of terroir in Alsace. In Burgundy the fragmentation of the premier cru and grand cru vineyards, plus the very personal signatures of the greatest winemakers, make much of the terroir argument absurd. If you really want to pursue terroir, go see Deiss, whose low yields and scrupulous winemaking result in wines that reflect the different soil bases from which he works. His wines are vividly different, and he makes no bones about saying the role of the winemaker is marginal, feeling that his role is merely to guide the healthy grapes through the winemaking process to reflect their terroir and vintage. While it is mind-boggling to contemplate the number of wines he produces, tasting the wines is a delight. Deiss believes that 1989 is the greatest vintage for Alsace wines since 1959, and he scoffs at those who claim 1990 is in the same league.His 1989 and 1990 offerings are very good, with the Pinot Blancs from Bennwhir exhibiting a bit more of the orange blossom, crisp, lighter, more delicate style, and the Pinot Blancs from Bergheim offering richer, softer, more creamy-textured wines. All of them will make ideal drinking over the next 3-5 years for their purity and wonderfully crisp, elegant textures.

The young, intense, energetic Jean-Michel Deiss has become one of the new Alsace superstars, as evidenced by the fact that seventy percent of his production is now exported and he has had to allocate many of his top wines. Along with Leonard and Olivier Humbrecht, Deiss is perhaps the greatest proponent of terroir in Alsace. In Burgundy the fragmentation of the premier cru and grand cru vineyards, plus the very personal signatures of the greatest winemakers, make much of the terroir argument absurd. If you really want to pursue terroir, go see Deiss, whose low yields and scrupulous winemaking result in wines that reflect the different soil bases from which he works. His wines are vividly different, and he makes no bones about saying the role of the winemaker is marginal, feeling that his role is merely to guide the healthy grapes through the winemaking process to reflect their terroir and vintage. While it is mind-boggling to contemplate the number of wines he produces, tasting the wines is a delight. Deiss believes that 1989 is the greatest vintage for Alsace wines since 1959, and he scoffs at those who claim 1990 is in the same league.His 1989 and 1990 offerings are very good, with the Pinot Blancs from Bennwhir exhibiting a bit more of the orange blossom, crisp, lighter, more delicate style, and the Pinot Blancs from Bergheim offering richer, softer, more creamy-textured wines. All of them will make ideal drinking over the next 3-5 years for their purity and wonderfully crisp, elegant textures.