2006 Pinot Gris Moenchberg

The Kreydenweiss 2006 Pinot Gris Moenchberg represents a departure from normal practice at this address on account of its 20 grams of residual sugar, although its taste-able sweetness is discreet. Mothball, honey, pear, and hazelnut aromas follow on a nutty, rich, spice-tinged palate, and subtle suggestions of honey, nut paste, and crushed stone inform a soothingly long finish. This polished, harmonious, and positively botrytis-marked Pinot Gris might well hold for a half dozen or more years, but I would monitor it carefully for any signs of decline. Marc Kreydenweiss and is son Antoine continue to favor true dryness, as well as malo-lactic fermentation and long lees contact, conveying a unique style that has stood the test of time not only from vintage to vintage (including numerous 2006 successes) but in the bottle as well. “It was really an extremely easy vintage in the cellar,” remarks Antoine Kreydenweiss of 2007 with its healthy, high acid (nearly all tartaric) fruit, and a picking window “that lasted from the 19th of September until the end of November, enabling each cepage and parcel to be picked at its precise level of maturity.” There was a Riesling S.G.N. here in 2007, which had by no means finished fermenting the last time I visited. Importer: Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661