2016 Albert Boxler 'Sommerberg Dudenstein' Riesling Demi Sec Grand Cru Alsace

Winemaker Notes:  Jean vinifies microparcels within this cru separately, declassifying some into his Réserve wines and producing multiple bottlings of Sommerberg from the different lieux-dits depending on the vintage. Sommerberg gives racy, intensely structured, very long-lived wines.

Jean Boxler is somewhat of a perfectionist. If a wine doesn’t meet his exacting standards—standards passed from one generation to the next and formed by the collective experience of decades of vintages—he’ll sell it to the local winery co-op, so the fact that this particular bottling exists at all is a pretty good indication that it’s something special. Boxler intended to make a vendange tardive, or late-harvest wine, which requires leaving grape bunches on the vine much longer than usual, but the conditions have to be just right. Unfortunately for him (and perhaps fortunately for us), an impending storm forced him to pick early. Though the fruit wasn’t quite right for a vendange tardive, it was still of exceptional quality. It was from the coveted Dudenstein parcel in the heart of the grand cru Sommerberg vineyard to boot, so he decided to bottle it as a demi-sec —a French term meaning “half-dry”—instead. And after several years resting quietly in bottle, here it is. The first pour is dominated by the classic petrol notes of aged Riesling, but aromas of honey, beeswax, and golden apple soon emerge. The palate is round and silky, the finish long and lingering, yet lightened by Riesling’s inherent freshness. Each sip invites another, and another; it’s a rare gift from an uncompromising domaine.