2008 Pinot Gris Altenbourg Quintessence Grain Noble Weinbach

How can a wine taste like liquid tarte tatin as this one does? It also has this brilliance that marries all that with the mushroom and truffle aromas beautifully. The finish is very concentrated and diamond-bright at the same time. Alsace squares the circle! Drink or hold. Made from biodynamically grown grapes.

Bright yellow-gold. Archetypal aromas and flavors of a late-harvest Pinot Gris wine: honeyed quince, strawberry nectar, mango, caramelized pear, cinnamon and truffle. Luscious, multilayered, extremely complex and sweet (197 g/L residual sugar) but lifted and sharply focused by laser-like acidity (a toothache-inducing 10.62 g/L ). Showcases utterly mesmerizing balance, depth and precision. The silky finish is nearly endless. This absolutely glorious late-harvest wine was made from grapes picked on October 24, 2008, from one of the highest sections of the Altenbourg, a lieu-dit that sits just below the Grand Cru Furstentum at roughly 220-300 meters above sea level (Domaine Weinbach owns 1.3 hectares in the Altenbourg, of which 25 percent is planted to Pinot Gris). Readers should be aware that when it comes to Pinot Gris (and Gewürztraminer), the Altenbourg is a grand cru in everything but name, producing wines of uncommon concentration and depth coupled with uncanny grace and refinement. I have had an almost endless number of outstanding wines from Domaine Weinbach over the years, but the 2008 Domaine Weinbach Pinot Gris Altenbourg Quintessence de Grains Nobles is simply one of the greatest wines (white, rosé or red, dry, sparkling or sweet) I have ever tasted. It's an utterly unforgettable, magical wine.