2005 Gewürztraminer Altenbourg Cuvée Laurence Weinbach

The Weinbach 2005 Gewurztraminer Altenbourg Cuvee Laurence is powerfully honey- and brown spice-scented, rich, creamy, and honeyed on the palate with a mysterious depth of saline, iodine, and otherwise savory minerality, and finishes with another for this variety amazing display of honeyed, malted richness combined with refreshment and genuine delicacy, its 45 grams of residual sugar tasting like half as much thanks to sheer freshness and extract. This tour de force should not falter over the next two decades. The dynamic trio of Fallers continues to bottle some of France's (hardly just Alsace's) richest and most flamboyant wines. Beginning with 2005, all of their vineyards are being biodynamically farmed. Laurence Faller finds their 2005s in general "more focused and clear" (this was especially true of Riesling) despite their often prominent botrytis component, and the 2004s richer. I suppose it goes without saying, but one has to carefully scrutinize each Weinbach label, so numerous are the cuvees. And as wonderful as is the distinctiveness exhibited by the vast majority of wines here, even a geek like yours truly could be forgiven for asking whether somewhat fewer different bottlings might benefit consumers as well as journalists!

Shows a more subtle range of flavors, with floral and grapefruit notes mingling with the firm structure. Powerful yet lean, without a lot of flesh. Mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2012.