2012 Muscat Saering

Every time I taste at this family-owned estate, there are members of at least two generations on hand to answer my questions, and the Dirlers are a rich source of insight on the grand crus, soils and exposures of their area. Dirler-Cadé produces many high-quality wines and is especially lucky to farm Muscat in the Spiegel grand cru (in my view, one of the two or three best sites for this variety in all of Alsace) as well as in the Heisse, which is the heart of the Kessler grand cru--according to many experts, the only portion of that site that should have been named a grand cru when the boundaries were originally drawn up. Production hovers around 90,000 bottles per year from 18 hectares of vines, 29% of which are planted to Riesling. Gewürztraminer is also very important here. “The early 2012 summer was tough because of recurrent rains so mildew became a problem," said Jean Dirler. "But in general 2012 was better here than in many other regions of France."