Riesling Réserve 2023 Albert Boxler | Alsace

Albert Boxler 's Riesling Réserve is a lesson in humility in the bottle. Behind the Réserve appellation, often perceived as a simple village wine, Jean Boxler delivers here a dry white of striking purity, made mainly from young Riesling vines planted on the granite slopes of the Sommerberg Grand Cru, cultivated organically. These vines, still too young to reach the level of expression expected of a Grand Cru, are currently vinified in the regional appellation, where they are already delivering a promising, highly precise cuvée. The Sommerberg's mineral backbone is complemented by spicy touches characteristic of the limestone soils on the hillside or in the transitional zones around Niedermorschwihr. The winemaking process, unchanged for decades, involves direct pressing of whole bunches of grapes, followed by natural fermentation and ageing on fine lees for around ten months in century-old tuns. The result is a vibrant, precise wine with a balance that few Alsace Rieslings at this price level can claim.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin : Jean Boxler's Riesling Réserve is stunning in its depth and sincerity. It demonstrates that even a wine from a "simple" regional appellation can achieve a form of pure evidence, a crystalline expression of terroir. This wine surprises from the very first sip with its accessibility and staying power. Without doubt one of the best value for money wines in Alsace today.

On the nose, the wine opens with zesty scents of tangerine, bergamot and lime. More herbaceous notes follow, evoking dried chamomile, fresh verbena and meadowsweet. A mineral and spicy touch reminiscent of white pepper, gunflint and honey follow, giving this Riesling a fresh, delicate and singularly elegant style.

On the palate, purity dominates from the outset, with perfectly integrated vertical acidity structuring the tasting. The body is delicate, carried by a beautiful uprightness and an almost crystalline finesse. A subtle mineral salinity extends the candied citrus aromas with great grace. This natural tension, combined with a persistent herbaceous and floral touch, recalls certain great German Rieslings, while remaining true to the Boxler style: precise, nuanced, vibrant.