1998 Pinot Gris

Marc Beyer is one of the few Alsace growers who have resisted the trend toward wines with significant residual sweetness. "Wine by itself has no interest for me," he declares, "and today sweeter wines from the region are much more difficult to pair with food."Beyer characterizes '98 and '97 as two very ripe years that can lack acidity. "In both vintages it was difficult to get the balance right.In '98, we had the most September rain in 30 years, yet we picked grapes with good concentration and no lack of sugar.And at the end of the harvest we brought in SGN wines with record must weights, up to 24.5% potential alcohol."Beyer leaves his wines on their fine lees only until January, in the belief that leaving them longer would risk losing the elegance of the wine, especially in low-acid vintages.