2011 Riesling Vendange Tardive

Long a reliable source of very good wines, this estate's top line, the Comtes d’Eguisheim, can rank with the very best in Alsace--especially the Gewürztraminer, which is made from grapes grown in the great Eichberg grand cru (although Léon Beyer does not use grand cru names on their labels). Yann Beyer believes that the Eichberg is also an outstanding vineyard for Pinot Gris. "It's a mainly marly-calcareous site that delivers powerful wines, so it’s perfect for both Gewürz and Pinot Gris,” he told me. The other grand cru farmed by the estate is the Pfersigberg, which Yann believes really should be subdivided into three different sections of varying quality. A south-exposed site is rich in calcaire; higher up on the hillside, there’s an east-facing site that has more sandstone; and the third section, exposed full south, is more Eichberg-like and marly, so wines made from this section of the Pfersigberg tend to be more aromatically powerful and less minerally.

Beyer isn’t as enthusiastic about 2012 and 2013 as some of his colleagues are, although he much prefers the 2012s. “We had flowering problems in 2013 so we made roughly 30% less wine than usual, he said. "In 2012, quality was more homogeneous; the wines remind me of the 2002s, with good aging potential. But the vintage is not at the level of 2008 or 2010.”

"The 2010 vintage is a great one for the base wines," said Marc Beyer, "while it's tougher for the top-of-the-line wines, of which we didn't make much, like most estates in Alsace." The Beyer family declassified large volumes of their grand cru wines to the entry level to ensure good supplies of their less-expensive bottlings. "Our bread and butter wines are the entry-level gewurztraminer and the base riesling. We need to sell those to stay financially healthy," said Beyer. Of all the producers I talked to, Beyer was perhaps the least enthusiastic about 2010. "It was difficult here in Eguisheim," he told me. "Acidity levels were so low that many winemakers needed to acidify. In the north, on the other hand, some growers needed to chaptalize." Beyer added that he likes the 2011s because they'll be ready to drink earlier "and people might warm up to them sooner." Also recommended: 2011 Pinot Blanc (86), 2010 Pinot Blanc (86).