The Boxler 2005 Pinot Gris Sommerberg Vendange Tardive “#1” (still without a label or official lot designation as of publication) is from the highest reaches of the Sommerberg, and finished with 80 grams of residual sugar. Sporting a beautiful nose of spiced peach, grilled pineapple, and quince preserves, rich, polished, and honeyed on the palate, it nevertheless exhibits mouthwatering primary fresh juiciness of pineapple, orange, and peach along with pungent, gingery botrytis spice. It is hard to imagine a much purer and refined nor a more satisfyingly juicy expression of nobly rotten Pinot Gris than this, even if it is not the last word in complexity (yet, anyway!). The domaine of Albert Boxler – where son Jean has been calling the shots for several years now – has long exhibited a consistency and quality that very few other wineries in France – much less Alsace – can equal, and that is demonstrated not just by their superb results with “noble” varieties in less than easy vintages, but already at the ostensibly “l(fā)ow end” of the varietal spectrum, where one can only wish there were more estates rendering wines of such delicious distinction. (Inexplicably, Boxler did not offer me a taste of his Chasselas or his Muscat – both of which can often be outstanding of their sort – and after this occurred to me, I was too pressed for time to make up for the omission at the end of our session.)Importer: Robert Chadderdon Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 757-8185