1983 Léon Beyer Gewürztraminer Selection de
Grains Nobles Quintessence

Léon Beyer is one of Alsace’s great names in
wine, famously sticking over the years to a range of truly dry wines. At Léon
Beyer, only the Vendages Tardives and Séléction de Grains Nobles are sweet
wines, and even then, not amongst Alsace’s sweetest in their respective ranges.
The original 1983 Gewürztraminer SGN bottling carried the label that is shown
here (I bought a case of these bottles in Alsace soon after release) but today
both the wine’s name and label have been modified (the decision was made to add
the word “Quintessence” to the SGNs when Beyer began using this term regularly
as of 1998). Semantics aside, there have been only three such wines made, in
1983, 1998 and 2005. 

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1450068667759-beyer+1983+sgn+gewurts+%281%29+-+Copy.jpg">&nbsp;

The 1983 Quintessence is dark golden yellow in
color, offering aromas of ripe peach, crystallized ginger, dried papaya, almond
paste, hazelnut, plus a whiff of Benedictine. Still bright after all these
years, the 1983 is loaded with luscious sweet tropical fruit and spicy flavors
that are clean and ripe. The long smooth finish hints at white chocolate and
aromatic herbs. Not especially sweet, with just enough acidity to keep it
relatively light and lively, the 1983 comes across as an especially airy,
easygoing Gewürtz SGN that is far removed from some opulent behemoths
characterizing the production of other Alsatian producers. Lovers of more
decadently styled sweet Gewürzes might not be as impressed by Beyer’s more
dainty, delicate version, but that is a simply a case of different strokes for
different folks. The1983 SGN was briefly re-released most recently in 1999 in
honor of the new millennium, as at Léon Beyer maintains copious stocks that are
set aside for resale over the years. For those interested in the numbers, the
1983 clocks in at 115 g/l of residual sugar, with 4.5 g/l in total acidity. 93/Drinking window:
2015-2020.

-- Ian D’Agata

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