As was demonstrated by the 2003 edition, even in a warm, low-acid, very high-ripeness vintage, it’s possible to retain the freshness and minerality that define the “shucker’s cuvee” chez Beyer, and that is very much the case with the 2009 Riesling Les Ecaillers. Scents of elder flower, sage, sweet corn, winter pear, smoky Latakia tobacco, kirsch, and cherry stone segue into a voluminous and glycerin-rich palate, joined by stimulating impingement of piquant citrus rinds and huckleberry, toasted hazelnut and almond, and preserving a core of primary fruit juiciness and hence a modicum of refreshment. This is unforgettably multi-faceted even by the standards met for this cuvee down the decades, and if it lacks the brightness or chalkiness of a more normal vintage, it does offer mouthwatering salinity that renders the finish even more compelling. If served this the raw oysters and bivalves that inspired its name, I predict that this more voluminous and metaphorically darkly-hued rendition will prove every bit as fascinating as a more typical specimen. One could keep this well for at least a decade, even though few will. Even in 2003, Marc Beyer and his team rendered a collection true to their domaine’s principles of dryness, acid-retention, and mineral expression, while for the most part avoiding alcoholic overload or flat-footedness. So I wasn’t surprised that they considered 2009 child’s play by comparison and fielded an often excellent if variable collection. “It was a vintage where you really had to wait,” says Marc Beyer of 2008, “but the fruit kept its acidity; eventually the maturity came up to over 13 (% natural alcohol); and the wines achieved a perfect balance.” Certainly the best of them did, at least. With their tendency to express volatile esters; their often big-boned and angular architecture; and their unapologetic absence of residual sugar, Beyer wines may well strike many of today’s oenophiles and writers as an anachronism, whereas for others of us, they are like a part of the profoundly beautiful village landscapes of Alsace to which we repeatedly return with a sense of comforting familiarity and the knowledge that their slow evolution will be as reliable as their adherence to a traditional style. But that is not meant to suggest that surprises are precluded, and in fact in both 2009 and 2008 there are a number of Beyer wines the likes of which I have difficulty recalling from this address or any other.Imported by Aveniu (A.V.) Brands, Baltimore, MD; tel. (410) 884-9463

The latest rendition of their ever- (but by no means only) shellfish-friendly “shucker’s cuvee” (always from the same especially chalky spot in the Pfersigberg) the 2005 Riesling Les Ecaillers is also a wine you can safely cellar for at least 10-12 years in an excellent vintage like this. Fresh lime and peach in the nose lead to a juicy, bright, wet stone- and cherry pit-inflected palate and a tight, focused, long but somewhat lean and decidedly mineral finish. It will not be released until well into 2008Marc Beyer continues to uphold traditions of dry-tasting wine (even the very occasional Vendange Tardive bottling here is generally only subtly sweet) and late-release. This is not an Alsace address that seems to have received much fanfare in the English language press in recent years, but I find the wines to have been constant in their quality over my 22 years of acquaintance. Indeed, I would not hesitate in describing the best of them as “classic,” while recognizing that others might say “retro.” Beyer is particularly happy with his 2005s, comparing them to the 1990s for their combination of richness and acidity. But a large part of the pleasure in buying wines from this address lies in accessing more mature vintages, and now is a last chance to snap up Beyer’s outstanding renditions of vintages 2002 and 2001. As some of Beyer’s rare nobly sweet wines going back a decade are still in the marketplace, and as these wines have never been reviewed by me nor in the pages of the Wine Advocate, I take the liberty of noting that the creamy, subtly smoky 1997 Pinot Gris S.G.N. (92 points) is a wonderful exercise in restraint yet complexity for its genre; the explosively rich 1998 Gewurztraminer S.G.N. (94 points) displays uncanny freshness and lift as well as merely subtle sweetness for all of its 110 grams residual sugar and honeyed, candied fruit, and herbal liqueur character; and the 1998 Gewurztraminer S.G.N. Quintessence (95 points) – a silken herbal-, floral-, citric-, caramelized liqueur-of-a-wine – displays phenomenal elegance and vivacity that utterly belie its viscosity.Imported by: Martine’s Wines, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400 and HB Wine Merchants, New York, NY; tel. (917) 402 0456.