Pierre Sparr Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive

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Sparr’s 2005 Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive smells of spice-studded orange and honey, covers the palate in plush, rich, subtly oily folds of fruit, and manages to contain its high residual sugar in a finish of satisfying length and strong spice. (Several botrytis cuvees I tasted at this address were simply overridingly sweet.)The enormous acreage controlled by the Sparr family – supplemented by purchased grapes, and since 2005 by the acquisition of Riquewihr’s Domaine Baumann as well – makes them among the commercially most important wineries in Alsace. Qualitatively, the extended selection of recent releases that I tasted here were a mixed bag, but only the best of them rose to the level of wholehearted recommendation. That number, incidentally, included several of the sparkling cuvees for which they are well known. The characteristic still wine here is soft, rich, slightly sweet, and often a bit loose and diffuse. Vintages 2004 and 2005 – with their frequent botryits component – are no doubt not the easiest for working in such a style.Importer: William Deutsch & Son Ltd., White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-9463

A candied white fruit-scented wine, the 1998 Pinot Gris Vendanges Tardives was produced from parcels in two grand cru vineyards, Mambourg and Brand. Medium-bodied, it is satin-textured and displays oily waves of honeyed minerals, botrytised pears, as well as spices. This rich, deep wine should be consumed over the next 10-12 years.For years, The Wine Advocate has been clamoring for readers to take advantage of Alsace's fine values in white wine. It often appears that our words fall on deaf ears, yet Bernard Sparr, this firm's export director, informs me that his US sales have gone from 9,000 cases in 1998 to 25,000 in 2001. As other Alsatian estates also report significant growth in US sales, it would appear that our entreaties, and those of several colleagues, are being heard.Importer: William Deutsch and Sons, White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-9463