Alsace vineyards above Kaysersberg.Alsace is also a region of hard-working and forward-looking people, so there’s hope these problems will eventually be solved. It helps, however, to acknowledge them. Last week’s tasting of Alsace wines in Warsaw started with a preposterous lecture by an local enologist who pictured Alsace as the best region in the world full stop. “We offer the most comprehensive range of wines of any wine region” (he forgot to mention there’s nearly no red); “other wine producers in the world can only envy our quality”.
I wouldn’t know about producers but the consumer in me wasn’t feeling envious. It was sad and upsetting to taste dull supermarket plonk such as
Pierre Sparr or Jean-Baptiste Adam, or vastly underperforming 12€ bottles such as the Marcel Deiss Riesling 2007 or the Trimbach Riesling 2007 (two great estates that should really be delivering more in their basic range). It was all the more ironic to hear about other regions “envying” Alsace after the brilliant performance of German Riesling at the very same venue two weeks before (see my article here).
And I made one discovery that made me forget all the bad wines. Jean-Louis Mann belonged to the Wolfberger co-op until 1998 when he decided to bottle on his own. He’s soft-spoken, passionate and meticulous, and he represents the best of modern Alsace (Génération Terroir – the slogan on his bottles – sums it up well). Viticulture is organic, there is never any chaptalisation or added yeast. Very slow pressing results in wine that have an added layer of depth and texture. Even the humble Sylvaner Vieilles Vignes 2007 or Pinot Blanc 2007 have above-average minerality and expression. In the middle range I particularly liked the latish-harvest Riesling and Pinot Gris 2006 from the Steinweg cru, both labelled Cuvée Fabienne & Jean-Louis. With around 12g of residual sugar they don’t really taste sweet but have good weight and power to accompany heftier foods. The Gewurztraminer Pfersigberg 2005 is a very good grand cru, avoiding overripeness and balancing the varietal larger-than-life peachy fruit with extract and minerality (despite my impression of Traminer not really being Mann’s preferred grape). If only all Alsatian domaines worked this hard, it would really be enviable.
Just like you, we bumped into Jean Louis Mann's domaine a week ago, when visiting Alsace. JL Mann offered us to taste near all his wines, explaining us each one of them: where do the grapes grow, the kind of soil and the characteristics of each different "cépage". It was a delighting afternoon. We learnt and enjoyed so much!. We were contagiated by the care and passion he showed towards his work. In reference to his wines: it was really difficult to decide which one we liked the most and would take home with us. The dry Rieslings, the best grapes to express the terroir: some were younger, other were the result of different soils, but all excellent. The same for the Gewurtztramminer, much more aromatic, but avoiding the excess of sweetness that invades any other flavour you may accompany.
I have really enjoyed his Pinot Gris, which transported me to the woods, where mushrooms and moss grow.
His Vendanges Tardives are a must. The taste of "la pourriture noble" of these selected grapes so gently treated is a pleasure for the senses and merits a moment of peace to savour it.
Bea