2008 Alsace

Cool and crunchy, a return momentarily to a normal vintage. September was fresher than average while the harvesting month of October was dry and sunny. The best wines (from Ostertag for example) have real intensity, nerve and great ageing potential; less advantageous sites produced thin wines. The northern Bas-Rhin region with their warm pink sandstone soils seems to have fared best while the cooler southern Haut-Rhin appears to have struggled in achieving full ripeness.
(David Berry Green, BBR Buyer)