Eartha Kritt

Kreydenweiss 2001 Gewurztraminer Kritt “Les Charmes” (Alsace) – Strutting. But less Saturday Night Fever than Napoleonic, in that its confident mien is reserved, even dignified, yet no less boastful. Raw peach enveloped in silken cream, cashew oil, fully-developed structure leading to a thickened, almost dairy-like aspect akin to well-aged German riesling, though of course there’s less acidity here. There’s far from none, however, and that makes all the difference. I’d say this is fully ready, but I’ve said that before, and still the wine continues to move on down the road. (10/11)

Rebberger

Kreydenweiss 2000 Pinot Gris Clos Rebberg “Aux Vignes” “Sélections de Grains Nobles” (Alsace) – 500 ml. Pear, peach, and hints of red fruit all sticky and gummy. Honestly, this is still OK, but has gone nowhere beneficial or interesting over the time it’s spent in my cellar. Drink six years ago for best effect. (8/10)

Rocky

Kreydenweiss 2005 Costières de Nîmes “Perrières” (Rhône) – I can’t seem to let these wines age as long as they should. Probably because, despite their youthfully brutish tannin and size, the roiling, earthy fruit is so appealing. And they’re awfully nice with meat. Or meat with a side of meat. Anyway, while the wine’s big and dark, there’s enough light and air to see right through to the core of it. In many ways, these southern efforts from Kreydenweiss are far easier to understand and access than his Alsatian wines. (6/10)

Breakin' the loi, breakin' the loi

Kreydenweiss 2006 Riesling Andlau “Au dessus de la loi” (Alsace) – Firm, freezing-point riesling driven over a road glistening with crystalline spikes and deformations. Absolutely overwhelmed by its minerality, and for me this is a good thing, yet in a more primary way than is typical for wines exhibiting such a character. Very, very long for what is, after all, essentially an entry-level riesling from this producer (even though it’s not priced like one). Striking. (2/10)

Steven Seagal

Kreydenweiss 2006 Riesling Andlau “Au dessus de la loi” (Alsace) – Heady, weighty riesling, varietally true and tending towards a molten-metal expression, but most notable for the somewhat formless power with which this metallurgy is delivered. Striking. (12/09)

The sound of winemaking

Kreydenweiss 2005 Costières de Nîmes “Perrières” (Rhône) – Starting to lighten, which either indicates a coming closed stage or ongoing maturation; this wine hasn’t existed long enough for me to be sure. The fruit is dark and chewy nonetheless, there’s good structure that’s of a more brittle nature than is common from the region, and while the temptation is to attribute this to the sensibilities of an Alsatian winemaker, the reality is that it just may be a function of this particular site. Anyway, there would seem to be promise here, but with the right animal flesh it’s pretty tasty now…just don’t expect any complexity as of yet. (7/09)

Steven Seagal

Kreydenweiss 2006 Riesling Andlau “Au dessus de la loi” (Alsace) – Fleshier than the “basic” Kreydenweiss riesling usually gets, but there are some incipient love handles as well; the wine slides right past perfect poise to a slightly slovenly slouch. It’s a minor issue, though, and there’s still time to regain form. The raw materials of stone and bone carry a little more heft as a result, with something that might charitably be called fruit (apple or pear; it’s unclear) draped from the limbs. A good entry-level riesling, better (or perhaps more accessible) than Kreydenweiss’ usual, but as a result needing a little more wary attention. (4/09)

Charmes school

Kreydenweiss 2001 Pinot Blanc Kritt “Les Charmes” (Alsace) – Creamy apricot, orangesicle, vanilla. The textures a bit gelato-like, but there’s enough acidity – just – to carry it off. Good, though it’s still Alsatian pinot blanc, and as such probably comes with a sort of qualitative ceiling. Still, the wine’s turning lush with creaminess, and you’ll probably want to drink this sooner rather than later. (3/09)

Wiebelsberg, wobbled

Kreydenweiss 1997 Riesling Wiebelsberg “Vendanges Tardives” (Alsace) – Hand-carried from the domaine, carefully cellared, and…corked. Ugh. (12/08)

Rocky V

Kreydenweiss 2005 Costières de Nîmes “Perrières” (Rhône) – Carignan, grenache, syrah. Very structured, but with dark Provençal aromatics peeking around corners and steaming though seams. This carries a high-minded poise not entirely typical for its region, which I would guess is the influence of the Alsatian winemaker, but it’s hefty enough to fit in amongst its peers. It just speaks with a little more precise diction. (7/08)

Art Monk

Kreydenweiss 2002 Pinot Gris Mœnchberg “Le Moine” (Alsace) – Gorgeous, with metallic spiced pear lushness lashed by shattering acidity. There’s no lack of residual sugar, but nothing is out of balance. Intact, this has years of life ahead of it. (1/08)

Flaviens Flav

Kreydenweiss 2001 Vin de Pays des Coteaux Flaviens “Ansata” (Rhône) – Here I pay the price for a lack of confidence, figuring that an Alsatian winemaker won’t necessarily know how to make an ageable Rhône without a lot of practice. Oh, me of little hope. While this is definitely showing some signs of positive development, there’s no hurry to open it. The fruit has smoothed to a Southern Rhônish sheen of herbed strawberry, underbrush, slick leather and hints of bubblegum, but there’s a moderate amount of structure still to resolve (and the acid-averse will probably find more than they’d like here; I think it’s a terrific element that’s too often missing in these wines), and the finish is long and only hints and teases at full tertiary complexity. A fine effort, and a lot of fun at blind tastings (“it’s a red from Marc Kreydenweiss, and it’s not pinot noir…”). (8/07)