Meyer and Ehrhart’s 2007 Gewurztraminer Brand is strikingly mineral and maritime in its aura of salinity, alkalinity, and iodine-like pungency, features that marry intriguingly with the brown spices, litchi, caramelized celery root, and rose petal that are recognizably Gewurz. Voluminous, creamy, and honeyed, it finishes with hints of smoked meat and toasted praline added to an already complex array of flavors, and somehow its 15% alcohol and 19 grams of residual sugar generate only faint heat and well-integrated sweetness. This may well be worth following for a decade or more, though I would monitor it for signs of heat or tactile drying. Jean Meyer and his son-in-law Christopher Ehrhart are among the many passionate proponents of biodynamic viticulture who insist that this regimen is responsible for their being able to harvest earlier. That may be all to the good if it means lower potential alcohol (and thus also potentially dry) wines of satisfying ripeness. Time was when the wines here were nearly all modest in alcohol yet analytically dry, even well after a regional trend had set in toward sweetness. And in those instances where today’s bottlings harbor residual sugar measurable in single digits, I can generally agree with Jean Meyer that – even in a botrytis-challenged year like 2006 – “the balance is ok. And besides,” he adds, “I hate to try to push to get the wine to go dry because you can fatigue it.” As for alcohol, judging by performance – even if one doesn’t look at the analyses – some of the 2007s here are challenged by their high levels, even though picking began on the first of September, the earliest in the estate’s more than 150 year history. Meyer and Ehrhart say they had planned to begin picking in 2006 on precisely the September 17 when tropic-like torrents fell, forcing on them a protracted, highly selective, and ultimately tiny harvest. I did not have chance to taste nearly all of the many cuvees (including lot variations on a given label) that – as usual – emanated from this estate in 2007, and (due to time constraints) tasted significantly fewer of their 2006s.Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900

The 2004 Gewurztraminer Brand evinces sweet pea, pear nectar, bergamot, violets and roses. Polished and silken in texture, juicy and engaging, it fills the mouth with sweet floral essences, and offers a wafting, satisfyingly juicy length, with the merest hint of sweetness and no heat. This displays the sort of elegance and refinement for which Jean Meyer’s Gewurztraminer has over the years been justly renowned. Under the viticultural direction of Jean Meyer’s son-in-law Christopher Ehrhart, this domaine has embraced biodynamic methods. Stylistic sensitivity, concern with cuisine compatibility, a special fondness for that underdog variety Auxerrois, and staggered release of wines continue to distinguish this fine estate, which in recent years has curtailed its negotiant activities. Many of the 2005 wines here were showing considerable reticence, which could represent a phase in their collective evolution. (Due to time constraints, I unfortunately did not have opportunity to taste the complete collective offerings of vintages 2004 and 2005 from this address, but any wine I tasted is referred to in the course of my coverage, even if it is not singled-out for a score.)Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. 847.604.8900