Alsace's 2005 Vintage

The first week of October was then overcast, with several days of moderate precipitation. The following two weeks, by all accounts, featured near-perfect conditions for the spread of noble rot: foggy mornings and sunny afternoons following the rainy period. As the grapes lost water and and gained in concentration, sugar levels rose and acidities remained healthy. Some of the late pickers made sizable quantities of high-quality late-harvest wines in 2005, not just Vendanges Tardives but, where noble rot was rampant, Sélections de Grains Nobles too.

Riesling, so often the standout in cooler and less sunny years, was less consistent than either pinot gris or gewürztraminer in 2005. Riesling vineyards with the hottest expositions and with thinner soils often suffered from a blockage of maturity during the hot, dry conditions of July and early August, and some of the late-picked riesling was also subject to rot in October. While a number of growers brought in riesling rich in noble rot, others admitted to having grey rot too, and some rieslings from 2005 lack purity and definition.