2009 Riesling Grand Cru Brand

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