Riesling Sommerberg E 2023 Grand Cru Albert Boxler | Alsace

Albert Boxler 's Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg "E" was born at the top of the Eckberg hillside, the coolest and stoniest part of the Grand Cru overlooking Niedermorschwihr. On these vertiginous terraces, Jean Boxler grows organic Riesling vines that are around forty years old. At an altitude of almost 400 meters, the vines plunge their roots into the stony faults of pure granite, delivering a juice of rare tension. The 2023 vintage, marked by very low rainfall and yields dropping to 20 hectoliters per hectare, concentrated small berries without pushing sugars, preserving aromatic freshness. After a meticulous hand-harvest, the grapes are pressed in whole bunches, then slowly fermented with their indigenous yeasts in century-old tuns. Resting on fine lees for almost ten months polishes the texture without compromising its crystalline élan.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin: All the cuvées from the Albert Boxler wine estate are outstanding, but the Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg "E" cuvée is a cut above the rest. It has a crystalline precision and brilliant tone, the fruit of the particularly high location of the Eckberg parcel, from which the cuvée takes its name. Give it five or six years, and it will metamorphose into a vibrant concentrate of energy, one of Alsace's greatest dry white wines! From vintage to vintage, Jean Boxler proves that rigor and meticulousness can generate pure emotion.

On the nose, the wine opens with zesty bergamot and fresh yuzu. A slightly peppery nuance underlines the granitic rigor of the locality. On aeration, a touch of lemon verbena infusion brightens the whole, heralding adamantine freshness.

The palate harmoniously blends the spinning straightness of this Grand Cru's granite bedrock with satiny, perfectly ripe flesh. The attack is chiselled on a flamboyant acid framework that forms the backbone of the wine, while the mid-palate establishes an admiring mineral silence. Gradually, salinity, noble grapefruit bitters and lemony pulp prolong the tasting, further accentuating the depth of the terroir. An interminable finish, animated by a stony vibration, ties everything together in an impression of absolute purity. This salivating persistence, combined with telluric energy, is the hallmark of an elite Riesling, destined to age for a very long time - over two decades for those who know how to wait.