Toasted sesame, nut oils, carnation, and heliotrope scent the 2009 Schoffweg, which thanks to its barrique vinification went dry, an impression furthered by a sense of tannin admittedly less obtrusive than that of the corresponding 2008, and a remarkably high level of acidity for its vintage, a legacy of the moisture retention and high soil pH of this site. A bit of alcoholic heat creeps into the undeniably stubborn finish, removing for me any possibility of charm. There is to be sure less difference in personality (or in my perception of quality) between this 2009 and the corresponding 2008 than I can recall witnessing of any other Alsace pair from these vintages. Deiss would like to attribute that to terroir, and at least as an explanation for the 2009’s acid-retention, I’ll buy that. Furthermore, like the 2008, all I can suggest is that one revisit this in a few years and see whether it has more to give. Jean-Michel Deiss’s chance-taking, late-harvesting attitude made for a 2009 collection at times excessive as measured by one or another parameter, but no one can fault its wines for the lack of personality that afflicts so many others from that vintage. Deiss was at pains to assure me that his single-vineyard 2009s would be more expressive and harmonious by autumn of 2011 although I am skeptical that the sort of awkwardness some of these wines exhibited last November will dissipate, and unfortunately, press of time and wine renders it impossible for me to taste many of the most prestigious Alsace wines twice. Deiss’s belief that diverse cepages which grow together – under the influence of the parcel’s terroir and of one another – tend to ripen together, was certainly tested in both 2009 and 2008, but even someone skeptical of that claim – and we skeptics are surely in the majority – must admit that to the extent under- and over-ripe (or botrytis-inflected) aspects coexist in one and the same wine, this need not always manifest itself as disharmony but sometimes instead can generate welcome tension, a tension especially beneficial in the context of noticeable sweetness, and something like seems to have happened with the exciting 2008s at this address. Jean-Michel Deiss remarked – apropos the preponderance of residually sweet wines at his estate (like so many in Alsace) – that with his vineyard and cellar environment, if he really wants a wine to go to dryness, he needs to work with it in barrique, otherwise he would need in most years to employ cultured yeasts, something he eschews – as he puts it – “on moral, not just aesthetic grounds, because I am not about to serve the industry that produces them.” That said, the healthy fruit and happy yeasts of 2009 as well as the high acidity of 2008 conspired to render more of the wines from these collections dry-tasting than is usual chez Deiss. Incidentally, Deiss has begun printing “premier cru” on the labels of those from among his single-vineyard blends that are not from officially grand cru-rated sites. Perhaps he feels emboldened to challenge the authorities not only because a certain amount of contrariness is in his nature, but because he has been deputized to take the lead in organizing growers around deciding what will define and constitute in Alsace the “A.O.P., “I.G.P.,” and other newly EU-mandated wine categories. Mathieu Deiss, incidentally, is taking on an increasing role at his family’s estate, and was almost as eager to discuss the wines and vines on the occasion of my November visit as his notoriously eager and eloquent father. (For further information on Deiss’s philosophy, his sites and their cepages, consult my reports in issues 175 and 188.)Importer: Vintus, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000

As often evident in his treatment of the north wind-concentrated fruit of Riesling and the Pinots from this limestone site, I find the elements of oak from the barrique (circa 15% new) in which Deiss vinifies and ages his 2008 Schoffweg unnecessarily evident in the form of lanolin, toasted nut, and vanilla top notes. Grappa-like high toned esters lend yet another aromatic dimension that seems especially far from the grape in nature, while a hint of carnation holds further intrigue. There is a gum-numbing impression of tannin on the palate that - along with espresso, apple pit, crushed stone, and a sizzle of citrus rind - make for a very tough, austere wine to try to get close to. It's formidably dense, dry, and in its way persistent, That's for sure, though suggestions of quince and almond paste point at least in the direction of things sweet. Deiss is at pains to minimize the degree to which wood " as opposed to terroir" determines the character of this wine, but I'm willing to declare the terroir largely innocent! All I can suggest is that we all taste this again in 2-3 years and see where it's at, but - Deiss's protestations to the contrary notwithstanding - I don't have a confident feeling. Jean-Michel Deiss's chance-taking, late-harvesting attitude made for a 2009 collection at times excessive as measured by one or another parameter, but no one can fault its wines for the lack of personality that afflicts so many others from that vintage. Deiss was at pains to assure me that his single-vineyard 2009s would be more expressive and harmonious by autumn of 2011 although I am skeptical that the sort of awkwardness some of these wines exhibited last November will dissipate, and unfortunately, press of time and wine renders it impossible for me to taste many of the most prestigious Alsace wines twice. Deiss's belief that diverse cepages which grow together -"under the influence of the parcel's terroir and of one another" tend to ripen together, was certainly tested in both 2009 and 2008, but even someone skeptical of that claim "and we skeptics are surely in the majority - must admit that to the extent under- and over-ripe (or botrytis-inflected) aspects coexist in one and the same wine, this need not always manifest itself as disharmony but sometimes instead can generate welcome tension, a tension especially beneficial in the context of noticeable sweetness, and something like seems to have happened with the exciting 2008s at this address. Jean-Michel Deiss remarked -"apropos the preponderance of residually sweet wines at his estate (like so many in Alsace) " that with his vineyard and cellar environment, if he really wants a wine to go to dryness, he needs to work with it in barrique, otherwise he would need in most years to employ cultured yeasts, something he eschews " as he puts it - "on moral, not just aesthetic grounds, because I am not about to serve the industry that produces them."- That said, the healthy fruit and happy yeasts of 2009 as well as the high acidity of 2008 conspired to render more of the wines from these collections dry-tasting than is usual chez Deiss. Incidentally, Deiss has begun printing -premier cru- on the labels of those from among his single-vineyard blends that are not from officially grand cru-rated sites. Perhaps he feels emboldened to challenge the authorities not only because a certain amount of contrariness is in his nature, but because he has been deputized to take the lead in organizing growers around deciding what will define and constitute in Alsace the "A.O.P., I.G.P.," and other newly EU-mandated wine categories. Mathieu Deiss, incidentally, is taking on an increasing role at his family's estate, and was almost as eager to discuss the wines and vines on the occasion of my November visit as his notoriously eager and eloquent father. (For further information on Deiss's philosophy, his sites and their cepages, consult my reports in issues 175 and 188.)Importer: Vintus, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000

From Riesling and the Pinots (principally Gris) on very friable limestone, Deiss’s 2007 Schoffweg mingles the spiciness of Pinot Gris with that of barrique in the nose; comes to the palate with welcome citric brightness if a certain severity; and finishes with penetration, tactile spice, adamant stone and chalk, and a hint of wood. Were there not such a sense of energy conveyed by this truly dry wine, it would come off as a bit too austere. I can imagine it being worth cellaring for a decade, perhaps longer, but would plan on re-checking it in half that time. Jean-Michel Deiss has been officially tasked with assisting his fellow Alsace growers in the drafting of new regional regulations and labeling conventions, in keeping with both France’s proposed move to a higher-order French appellation “d’Origine Protegee” and with the potential regional autonomy provided for (if inchoately) by recent EU legislation. As readers can imagine, Deiss’s vision involves a drastically diminished scope and roll for varietal bottling, analogous to his conception of Alsace crus as being best expressed by a blending of multiple cepages. (For more on the evolution of Deiss’s approach, consult my report in issue 175). Two things are indubitable: Alsace could use fresh approaches to labeling and marketing; and any Deiss proposal will have been thought-through all the way down to its historical and metaphysical levels. Deiss’s own line and labeling have been further simplified: beginning with 2006 his lower tier of wines is being bottled without village designations, leaving him more flexibility in blending. Although Deiss did not bottle a full compliment of his crus from the rot-challenged 2006 vintage, he said he was loath to pull back by settling his musts more aggressively of bottling earlier, “because the lees are the megaphone for the terroir.” Fair enough in principle, but the results were to say the least decidedly mixed, whereas Deiss’s 2007s represent a resounding success. (Deiss did not show me his lower-tier 2006s and I did not have chance to ferret any of them out from the marketplace.)Importer: Vintus, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000