2011 Muscat Spiegel

During one of my trips to Alsace roughly 15 years ago, I remember tasting a gewürztraminer from the Kitterlé grand cru made by a small grower whom I had never heard of before, Léon Hell-Cadé.It was a very well-made and perfumed wine, less tropical and blowsy than most examples of the variety, and I therefore thought of visiting the estate.As luck would have it, I never got around to doing so then or since.Interestingly, before 2000, Dirler-Cadé was known simply as Dirler, but in 2000, when Jean Dirler married Ludivine Cadé, another 9 hectares were added to the family holdings and so Dirler-Cadé now owns a total of 18, including a number of parcels in hallowed grand cru sites (Spiegel, Kessler, Kitterlé, and Saering).Clearly, among the vines growing on these 9 hectares were also those from which Léon Hell, Ludivine's father, had made that wine I had enjoyed.At Dirler-Cadé, which now practices biodynamic farming, the family has since replanted most of Léon's old property with massale selections from the Hebinger nursery in Eguisheim. Interestingly, Jean Dirler is yet another Alsace producer who loves sylvaner:"It's a great wine when well made, and it matches well with food unlike many of the way-too-rich pinot gris made in Alsace today.At Dirler-Cadé, we actually sell our sylvaner for more than our pinot blanc."Dirler was very happy with the 2010s."They remind me of the 2008s, but our 2010s are less acid--not surprisingly, as 2008 is perhaps the all-time reference year for acidity in Alsace."Ludivine Dirler added that 2010 was tough, though, due to low production."Normally we try for 60 or 65 hectoliters per hectare but in 2010 it was more like 40.Happily the 2010s are very good, because there wasn't much of them." Also recommended:2009 Crémant Brut Rosé (85), 2009 Crémant Brut (86), 2010 Pinot Noir (86), 2010 Riesling Bollenberg (85), 2010 Riesling Belzbrunnen (86), 2009 Gewurztraminer Spiegel Vendange Tardive (86).