Even in this vintage Meyer and Ehrhart picked their 2009 Riesling Brand at the end of the harvest as usual, yet they brought the wine in at virtually complete dryness and still just-under 13.5% alcohol. Thyme, rosemary, and gentian in the nose make for a Garrigue-meets-Alps character that persists as resinous herbal pungency and bittersweet inner-mouth perfume. Although there is a welcome suggestion of juicy citricity at mid-palate, the finish – while persistent – is a bit diffuse. Certainly this displays grip and complexity that the corresponding Le Dragon does not approach, but that wine is more seamlessly satisfying and generously-fruited. Perhaps this Brand will gain focus with some years in the bottle, though my intuition would be to enjoy it over the next half dozen. Jean Meyer, his daughter Isabelle, and son-in-law Christopher Ehrhart were clearly challenged by the 2009 vintage in their efforts to obtain dry or judiciously sweet and elegant wine of the sort that is this estate’s long-term signature, but they managed to successfully tread a fine line with a great many of their bottlings – not quite all of which I had time to taste – and some wines usually offered weren’t attempted or weren’t bottled this year. Jean Meyer has never favored late harvest and his natural inclination to pick sooner in 2009 certainly did not sacrifice ripeness of flavor. The 2008 vintage was also mixed in success, a fungal overtone in certain wines bound to at best be controversial; but the most successful (principally Rieslings) outstanding and likely to age well.Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900

A superbly-nuanced and site-typical nose of iris, gentian, mint, shrimp shell reduction, and chalk dust greets you from the glass of Josmeyer 2008 Riesling Brand, which displays a combination of richness and palpable extract with buoyancy and vivacity such as this vintage specializes in at its best. With only 12.3% alcohol and five grams of residual sugar, this is on paper as well as the palate the sort of Riesling that would have counted as classic Alsace 25 or more years ago, and to my mind still does today. Salt, iodine, and shrimp shell reduction render the finish irresistibly saliva-liberating, while the juicy tang of fresh lime and inner-mouth floral perfume both billow along. This elegant, complex beauty never forgets its duty to refresh, and ought to be a superb performer at table over the next two decades. Jean Meyer, his daughter Isabelle, and son-in-law Christopher Ehrhart were clearly challenged by the 2009 vintage in their efforts to obtain dry or judiciously sweet and elegant wine of the sort that is this estate’s long-term signature, but they managed to successfully tread a fine line with a great many of their bottlings – not quite all of which I had time to taste – and some wines usually offered weren’t attempted or weren’t bottled this year. Jean Meyer has never favored late harvest and his natural inclination to pick sooner in 2009 certainly did not sacrifice ripeness of flavor. The 2008 vintage was also mixed in success, a fungal overtone in certain wines bound to at best be controversial; but the most successful (principally Rieslings) outstanding and likely to age well.Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900