Still in tank when I tasted it last November, a 2009 Pinot Gris Hengst seems more expressive, generously sappy, and at home with its sweetness than the other Mann Pinot Gris lots of its vintage, although its overall effect is that of a vendange tardive. Effusively ripe peach and pink grapefruit mingle with heady, gardenia-like floral perfume in the nose, anticipating the lush richness of a glycerin-rich palate that finishes soothing and sweet, with just a hint of heat from what is estimated at a bit over 14% alcohol. In what circumstances one would want to drink this sumptuous, sweet Pinot Gris (or hundreds of others at least superficially similar to it across Alsace – most of which are to be sure not this well-made) is an entirely separate question. I’d monitor the effects of alcohol, but this should remain fresh, albeit overtly sweet, for the next 12-15 years. 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