Some Wines from Domaine Bott-Geyl.

After tasting through as much as I could at the UGC in Vinexpo Asia-Pacific 2008, I visited the booth of Manila's non-Bordeaux crusader, Jérome Philippon of Sommelier Selection. A bit busy entertaining customers, Jérome introduced me to Valerie Bott-Cartier, winemaker of Domaine Bott-Geyl (based in Beblenheim, Alsace), and, incidentally, the wife of domaine owner, Jean Cristophe (who was back home, hard at work in the vineyards).

Valerie and Jérome:

I am familiar with the domaine's bottlings distributed by Jérome in Manila and have actually purchased and consumed quite a number of them, but never got to try their "higher bottlings" as none are currently available on the local market. Don't get me wrong, while I, and, I am sure, many others, are happy with the line Jérome currently brings in (particularly with a well-chilled bottle of their gewürztraminer with Je Suis Gourmand's terrine of foie gras - I understand their same wine is featured as a pairing to foie gras in the 3 Michelin star Auberge d'Ill in Illhaeusern, Alsace), I do hope he soon starts bringing in the lines subject of this post.

After proper introductions and a good-natured "scolding" from Valerie for my not having passed by her family domaine after finding out I was in nearby Riquewihr for several days late last September, she walked me through a few of her wines.

Domaine Bott-Geyl:

2005 Riesling Grafenreben de Zellenberg - Very lively, refreshing, crisp and clean (a proverbial "breath of fresh air" after having tasted around 35 young Bordeaux reds in the last 2-½ hours) dry young riesling with tense minerality to its currently dominant citrus/lemon/lime and whispers of white flowers over a slightly rounded underbelly of ripish stone fruit. Lots of finesse to this wine.

I've found young rieslings from taditional Alsace makers (e.g., Léon Beyer) are usually noticeably tight, as this one was, but predict that the underlying rounded stone fruit will surface materially after the proper number of years' ageing. I think this has excellent potential and certainly will try to track this wine's progress over the years.

2005 Pinot Gris "Les Elements" - this is the line that Jérome distributes in Manila and I am quite familiar with the 2004 version. The 2005, while exhibiting the dry style of traditional Alsace makers, was notably riper, rounder and "sexier" than its 2004 version, approaching voluptuous. Nice. Valerie recommends it with a terrine of foie gras.

2004 Pinot Gris Sonnenglanz (Grand Cru) - Mildly spicy ripe melon, lemon drop with entertaining hints of almond paste beneath and to the back. Smooth on the palate with nice weight and balance, and a slight richness that made me think even more of having some foie gras.

2004 Gewürztraminer Sonnenglanz (Grand Cru) - Unmistakably gewürz, redolent with a heady perfume of lychee and peach, with touches of roses and small white flowers delivered to the palate in a clean, pure and admirably balanced format. Excellent, memorable.

2001 Pinot Gris Sonnenglanz (Grand Cru) Vendanges Tardives - Good, solid, very ripe, rounded, mildly-honeyed fruit base with a well-integrated nuttiness underneath, a touch of minerality and an alluring ever-so-slight tanginess (which, to me, helped balance off the sweet ripeness of this VT. Nice complexity if one pays proper respect and attention to it.

If there is a single word I can come up with to describe the general character of these wines, it would have to be "honest". I feel "honest" captures their natural, unsullied, unmanipulated, unpretentious allure.

Jérome mentioned to Valerie that my wife loves Alsace VTs, and, thus, after proper thanks given and good-byes said, I was off on my way with a gift of a bottle of the 2001 Pinot Gris Sonnenglanz VT for her.

Walking back to my hotel, I thought about the thing I loved most about Alsace. Though, while there, the food was, indeed, good and the white wines wonderful, it was the honest warmth, openness and friendliness of the people that struck me the most. This short meeting reminded me of that.