1998 Sylvaner

"1998 was exceptional [in the sense of unusual] in every way, and difficult" says Francis Burn.The grapes were very ripe at the beginning of September, but were then set back by the rains.A severe trie was needed, especially in the pinot gris, as the "mushrooms" spread quickly. "We started harvesting late but finished early," was the way Burn described a harvest that was essentially carried out between October 5 and 10.As it was impossible to completely eliminate rotten grapes, Burn used commercial yeasts to vinify the '98s.The vintage has an exotic side, he notes.The previous year, in contrast, brought surmaturité without rot; there was a lot of passerillage This very ripe year is characterized more by fruit than by minerality, notes Burn.Incidentally, Burn continues to use green bottles for his drier wines, and clear ones for those with significant residual sugar.The Clos St. Imer is a favored clos within the grand cru Goldert.Burn uses the Cuvée de la Chapelle designation for the richest cuvées of Clos St. Imer (those with very high potential alcohol, overmature grapes, high residual sugar), but does not label these wines as VT or SGN even when they are entitled to these designations.(Martin-Scott Wines, Ltd., Little Neck, NY; also a Peter Vezan selection, importers include Import!, Madison, WI and North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA)