Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg Dudenstein, Albert Boxler

The 2023 Riesling Dudenstein Sommerberg Grand Cru is from a more complex parcel where granite is mixed with limestone and sandstone. This was made from vines planted in 1946 and 1953. A shy nose hints at zesty citrus. The palate is distinctly juicy, delving into green-yellow Reine Claude plum, emanating coolness and sporting a touch of pear peel on its texture. Yet it is absolutely concentrated, with a finish reminiscent of Eau-de-Vie and Mirabelle (Bone Dry). - Anne Krebiehl MW

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

Hvilken dansende lethed og intensitet på én gang: Sommerberg D (for Dudenstein) hører til de største vine i Alsace, og den forholdsvis lette og yderst elegante 2016 er ingen undtagelse med den krystalklare frugt, der er riesling i yderste potens. 95+ p. - Niels Lillelund

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