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...
Utrolig elegant, ren, præcis med syren helt i forgrunden – grænsende til det smertefulde. På andendagen har den ikke flyttet sig overhovedet, stadig streng, rank, præcis – og for ung. Giv den et par år, mindst. - Niels Lillelund
Luminous straw-green. Strong licorice, cardamom and chamomile notes complement aromas of ripe apple and pear. Then fleshy and juicy, presenting a much fruitier personality than the 2016 entry-level Riesling, with riper orchard fruit flavors but a little more abrupt finish. In Europe, this wine is labeled as “Sommerberg JV” (where JV stands for Jeunes Vignes), but in 2015 Boxler made even less than usual (and there are normally only 3,000 bottles made) because he declassified one parcel of young vines that suffered water stress. Less mineral but also larger and fruitier than usual, though still very much in keeping with the Dudenstein’s personality. - Ian D'Agata
The amphitheatre-like, granite-soiled, super-steep Sommerberg (a slope of 45°) is Boxler’s flag-carrying vineyard, and he produces three separate lieux-dits wines from within it, as well as a generic and this Jeunes Vignes (young vine) version. This wine, with its scent of peach juice and explosion of stony fruits, sums the site up memorably well. - Andrew Jefford
The 2014 Riesling Réserve (Sommerberg JV – Jeunes Vignes in France) is from a young parcel in the Sommerberg Grand Cru, so grown on granitic soils. Ripe and intensely fruity on the nose, it is a racy-piquant and also fruit-intense, round and juicy Riesling with good power and concentration. This parcel benefited a lot from its steepness and the stony terroir in that difficult year, especially since the rainfalls in August came at the most prefect moment. Since the vines were used to the dryness, in 2015 the berries remained small and did not need much water in contrast to 2016. - Stephan Reinhardt
Pale straw. Honeyed mineral aromas and flavors are nicely framed by lemony acidity and lifted by a perfumed floral element. Saline acidity gives a zingy, very clean mouthfeel. This is an outstanding, classically dry, entry-level Riesling, but unfortunately Boxler only makes 3,000 bottles a year. In Europe this wine is labeled as “Sommerberg JV” (where JV stands for Jeunes Vignes). The Sommerberg is a highly geologically varied grand cru, made up of many different exposures on a typically granite base (though it’s a different, more fractured granite than that of the Schlossberg, for example, and there are consequently noteworthy differences in the wines made in each of the two crus). These vines grow on a high convex site which is more exposed to the wind and can suffer from water stress in hot, dry years. - Ian D'Agata
