You picked a fine time to leave me

Lucien Albrecht 2007 Pinot Gris “Cuvée Cecile” (Alsace) – Brilliant shattered-glass minerality, the kind that one almost never finds in Alsatian pinot gris anymore, and vibrant acidity lacing illuminated pear and brittle structure. Exciting. Yes, there is a bit of residual sugar, but it’s so well-compensated that it doesn’t matter. (9/10)

Bollen alley

Albrecht 1998 Gewurztraminer Bollenberg (Alsace) – Drying, strappy, and tannic. All things a gewurztraminer can be when it ages, and whether they’re positive or negative depends on the rest. Which, here, is a kinky mélange of spiced banana skin, fuzzy peach, and copper bullets racing down a wind tunnel. Texturally inimitable, in a way, for true skin-contact whites are way more palpable than this, while most everything else would rely more on acid (or its lack) for structure. I kinda love it, but it’s a complicated love. (9/10)

McNally

Albrecht 2006 Pinot Blanc “Cuvée Balthazar” (Alsace) – Completely oxidized, a victim of its Nomacorc. (5/10)

You better, you better, Albrecht

Jean Albrecht 2006 Pinot Blanc “Réserve” (Alsace) – Starts better than it finishes. Basic apricot and spiced cream, with nothing rising above a minimal volume. Pleasant for a few moments, but the finish is essentially absent. (12/08)

Berthold Albrecht

Albrecht 1998 Pinot Gris “Vieilles Vignes” (Alsace) – Oxidized. And truly horrid, besides. (8/08)

Friends, Romanus, countrymen

Albrecht 2005 Pinot Gris “Cuvée Romanus” (Alsace) – Dense and heavily mineral-influenced, which turns the thick pear fruit smoky, perhaps even a bit musky. The balance isn’t bad for a pinot gris (that is to say: the acidity’s low, but not unforgivably so), but the wine makes up for it with strength of character. A little more complexity would improve things, but it’s hard to complain too much; this isn’t an overly aspirational wine, just a solid expression of the variety and the general terroir at a reasonable price. (12/07)

Albrecht 2005 Riesling “Réserve” (Alsace) – Classic, firm, steel-driven riesling with a surplus of ripe green apple acidity. Which is good as far as it goes. Except that the nose is a little thin, and the finish is a lot shorter than one would want. It takes some air to develop, and deserves that time, but it does not rise above its calling. (Then again, it’s probably not meant to.) This is the riesling that goes in the pot (and in the cook) while waiting for the somewhat more serious example to appear at the table. (11/07)