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

With 43 grams of residual sugar, it was inevitable that the Mann 2008 Pinot Gris Hengst would taste unabashedly sweet, even with acidity that is only slightly less extreme for this grape variety than that found in the corresponding Rosenberg and Furstentum. White truffle, liver pate, peach, and orange intrigue the nose; then perform on a surprisingly glycerin-rich yet palpably chalky palate, with fresh orange offering juicy persistence. Hints of caramel and honey are reinforced by the wine’s sweetness and at least in this youthful phase come off as slightly at odds with its Riesling-like brightness. Still, this multi-faceted, muscular, vibrant Pinot Gris should become more harmonious in a few years and have 15-20 years of health ahead of it, time enough for its overt sense of sweetness to back-off, allowing it, I predict, to be more adaptable at table. 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

Musk melon, quince, wood smoke, and brown spices in the nose of the Mann 2007 Pinot Gris Hengst are mingled with an improbable alliance of caramel, fresh lime, and palpable chalk dust on a creamy, glycerin-rich, honeyed palate. This opulent, subtly sweet, long-finishing Pinot Gris should also be a long distance, 15 or more year runner. To say that Maurice and Jacky Barthelme are bullish on their 2007s would be an understatement, as they seem to think that this is their best collection going all the way back to the wonderful 1988s with which they debuted in the U.S. (and a number of which I am still enjoying). Since they have been among those Alsace vintners most concerned with restraining sugar accretion while promoting ripe flavors, it’s understandable that they view 2007 as having been especially welcome when compared with other very recent vintages. “In September there was just enough rain; in October no rain; November was wonderful,” comments Jacky Barthelme, “so, we had time to harvest and to select.” Barthelmes were also among those growers who sold off a portion of their 2006 crop in bulk and declassified portions into generic bottlings, but the resulting bottlings are among the finest of that vintage, for which the brothers in part – unsurprisingly – credit biodynamic preparations and fruit that could be picked ripe early. My laudatory reviews of the (for this estate typically) outstanding value Mann Auxerrois Vieilles Vignes and Pinot Blanc bottlings of vintage 2007 can be found in issue 178.Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800