The Mann 2007 Pinot Gris Altenbourg Selection De Grains Nobles Le Tri was given the same nickname as the corresponding Muscat, but in this instance was also officially registered as S.G.N. We have here is an elixir...
The Mann 2007 Pinot Gris Altenbourg Selection De Grains Nobles Le Tri was given the same nickname as the corresponding Muscat, but in this instance was also officially registered as S.G.N. We have here is an elixir utterly different than those which preceded it in this year’s line-up, first off because 237 grams of residual sugar are met by a near-doubling of acidity, to the level one would expect to find in a great nobly sweet German Riesling, and secondly because the vinification was in new barrique. Candied lime peel, grapefruit marmalade, honey, marzipan, lanolin, and vanilla on the nose segue into a viscous, buoyant, botrytis-saturated, confectionary palate but one with a sense of vivacity and genuine framing from the wood that help restrain the effects of so much residual sugar. This finishes with whip-lashing intensity. I think it’s another S.G.N. that will need decades to come into full focus and shed some superficial sweetness, but in truth, tasting it anytime over (I’m guessing) the next 40 years will be a remarkable experience. - David Schildknecht