2005 Sylvaner Rosenberg Vielle Vignes, Barmès Buecher

Even if Sylvaner lacks a 'fingerprint' charcteristic, on the nose as well as on the palate, this historic variety does indeed give harmonous wines with a wide use.

2005 Sylvaner Rosenberg Vielle Vignes by Barmès Buecher in Wettolsheim is a biodynamic wine made by one of the stars of Alsace, and offers warm plums, raspberries, toffee and vanilla on the nose. The taste is medium full with a bit of barrique feeling, fresh and complex with some pear and a trace of bitterness, while the finish offers surprising length and superb acids. Impressive! Price: € 8.

2005 Sylvaner Rosenberg Vielle Vignes, Barmès Buecher

Even if Sylvaner lacks a 'fingerprint' charcteristic, on the nose as well as on the palate, this historic variety does indeed give harmonous wines with a wide use.

2005 Sylvaner Rosenberg Vielle Vignes by Barmès Buecher in Wettolsheim is a biodynamic wine made by one of the stars of Alsace, and offers warm plums, raspberries, toffee and vanilla on the nose. The taste is medium full with a bit of barrique feeling, fresh and complex with some pear and a trace of bitterness, while the finish offers surprising length and superb acids. Impressive! Price: € 8.

2005 Pinot Blanc Gebreit , Lucas & André Rieffel

Gebreit is a vineyard situated on a plateau between two of the Grands Crus of Andlau; Kastelberg and Wiebelsberg. Here, the must gets richness and acidity enough to carry up to a year on oak.

2005 Pinot Blanc Gebreit by Rieffel in Mittelbergheim has an intense aroma with vanilla and black licorice. The taste is fruity and supple with a hint of pineapple on top of a rich, creamy structure with fresh acids and some bitterness in the finish. A biodynamic wine in the style of a Chardonnay. Price: € 7.

2007 Riesling Grand Cru Kaefferkopf , René and Etienne Simonis

After a shift in responsibility in 1996, young Etienne Simnonis in Ammerschwihr manages the lovely vineyards Vogelgarten (Sigolsheim), Grand Cru Marckrain (Bennwihr) and Grand Cru Kaefferkopf with high ambitions; late harvest, low yields and ambitious vinification.

2007 Riesling Grand Cru Kaefferkopf has a big, fresh, up-front aroma, supported by relatively high levels of volatiles. The taste is firm and tight with brilliant minerality and the obnoxious loveliness of the terroir. A great success with outstanding potential from a classic terroir. Price: € 10.

2000 Riesling Grand Cru Hengst , Josmeyer

In the 2008 edition of Les Meilleurs Vin de France, The Best Wines of France, the Revue du Vin de France awards two out of three stars to Josmeyer in Wintzenheim. Other domaines on this level are Lynch-Bages, Le Pin and Selosse. Not a bad company....

2000 Riesling Grand Cru Hengst has a complex, powerful aroma of honey, some petrol, honey, spring flowers and red grapefruit. The taste has a huge volume, layers of layers of sophisticated fruit, traces of botrytis and eternal finish. World class. Unforgettable. Perfect. Price: € 26.

2003 Pinot Gris Grand Cru Engelberg, Jean-Marie Bechtold

The summer of 2003 was extremely hot and the acidity levels fell drastically already in September, leaving many Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris without sufficient grip to carry the residual sugar. But there are exceptions!

2003 Pinot Gris Grand Cru Engelberg by Jean-Marie Bechtold has an aroma of rhubarb and slightly burned fruit-sauce. The taste is like velvet, quite full with figs and toffée, supported by a backbone of lovely acidity, typical for the terroir, and a trace of bitterness. Great craftsmen-ship from Dahlenheim! Price: €10.50.

2004 Gewurztraminer Bollenberg, Camille Braun

Bollenberg in Orschwihr is an important lieu-dit that would deserve rank as 'premier cru', if such a classification existed. The wines of Bollenberg are, regardless of producer, focused, never blowzy and posses textbook grip and 'fraicheur'.

2004 Gewurztraminer Bollenberg from Camille Braun is light golden. Lilies, banana and turpentine add complexity to the nose. The primary taste offers vanilla ice cream, while the finish is dominated by firmness and licorice. No trace of sticky sweetness. Camille Braun has done it again! Price: € 7.60.