From a blend of Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, and (a new addition to this cuvee – from the Clos de la Faille) Pinot Noir, the Mann 2008 Cremant d’Alsace benefited from 18 months sur latte to gain a leesy sense of textural richness. A saline savor akin to shrimp shell reduction plays against ripe cherry and, accompanied by the piquancy and pungency of their pits and zest. The finish refreshes while tugging gently on the salivary glands. Once again, the Barthelmes have demonstrated like few other growers just how seriously delicious can be a Cremant d’Alsace – yet, frankly, theirs sells for little more than the cost of a bottle of plonk. (The situation is very much like that on the Loire, where top-notch methode champenoise from Foreau, Huet or Blot is ridiculously under-priced.) Enjoy this over the next 18-24 months. Although Maurice and Jacky Barthelme continued to pick their 2009 Rieslings into October and achieved satisfyingly ripe flavors, they did so without suffering high alcohol or unbalanced sweetness. Unsurprisingly (whether or not verifiably), they implicate the accumulated experience and effects of a biodynamic regimen in these results. Equally importantly, the levels of acidity in their 2009 Rieslings are ample and efficacious. With Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer, they were forced to discharge high must weights in the form of almost universally high residual sugar, with attractive if seldom distinguished results. The Mann 2008s are characterized by particularly concentrated and positively efficacious acidity, all of the Rieslings weighing-in at what on paper might look like an excessive 9 grams or more. Not only have the Barthelme brothers been together now for 21 vintages – to me it still seems like yesterday that I “discovered” their 1988s – but they point out that most of their present crew has been together for nearly a decade, which is bound to have been instrumental in their having been able to repeatedly expand into new vineyards without sacrificing the highest standards, not to mention with their enthusiasm still youthful.Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800