Albert Boxler, Alsace
"If you're looking for great dry Rieslings of the world, you can't go past Domaine Albert Boxler, and there are unlikely to be better Rieslings on granite soils anywhere."
- Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
Albert Boxler er et af stjernenavnene i Alsace. Jean Boxler er ved roret og kvaliteten har aldrig været bedre fra denne fornemme adres...
The 2021 Riesling Dudenstein is from vines on the lower and mid-slope of the Sommerberg Grand Cru, planted in 1946 and 1953 by grandfather Albert Boxler. This is where the granite merges into limestone, with some granite overlying limestone bedrock. Hints of grapefruit appear shyly on the nose followed by riper notions of juicy tangerine. The palate is absolutely streamlined and in line with 2021's freshness. There is more pith here, more body, and even a touch of Mirabelle, framed precisely by ripe Amalfi lemon. The mouthfeel is more rounded and resonant, very long and citrus-focused. Just another face of Riesling, compelling and long. (Bone-dry)
The 2017 Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg Dudenstein is simply great on the nose, very pure, elegant and flinty, with notes of crushed stones and perfectly ripe and intense fruit. On the palate, the wine is silky textured, round and elegant, with great finesse and harmony. The finish is salty-piquant, very pure and stimulating. - Stephan Reinhardt
Bright straw. Very concentrated and complex aromas and flavors of green apple, pear nectar, minerals and vanilla show an almost austere quality thanks to the wine's zingy lemony acidity. Deeper and longer than the 2012 Sommerberg Eckberg, and in my view a perfect example of a wine made from grapes picked before the autumn rain. This is more concentrated but less ripe than Boxler’s other wines made with grapes picked later in the harvest but has impeccable balance and admirable thrust. The Dudenstein is always the first Sommerberg parcel to be harvested, and in 2012 the wine is an absolute knockout. - Ian D'Agata
The 2014 Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg Dudenstein (Sommerberg D in Europe) is from a lower (250-290 meters), southeast-facing plot with 70-year-old vines on granite over limestone (Muschelkalk) soils. It opens with a very clear, fresh and complex bouquet with smoky lemon and some richer herbal flavors. Full-bodied, round and elegant, this is a very intense and juicy, silky textured, almost sweet and well-structured Riesling; it seems to be a bit smoother than the pure granite selections of the cru. In fact, the combination of granite sandstone and limestone in the tiny plot is unique in Alsace. The finish is highly aromatic, lush and fruity but also mineral, and displays floral aromas in the long aftertaste. This wine should be kept for at least ten years but will still be great in 30 years.
Jean Boxler’s 2015 wines maintain his dauntingly high standards. The Sommerberg ‘D’, from a small parcel containing old vines planted after 1945, is a masterful wine of great intensity, complexity and energy: almost explosive in the mouth. It is both opulent and vivacious: a typically Alsatian combination, but rarely realised with the drama and clarity of expression that you find here. - Andrew Jefford
