The Alsatian flute – as the typical Alsace bottle is called - is for some a source of excitement and intrigue, for others a symbol of sweetness, arguably born out of the excess of the mass market German wines of yesteryear. Frustratingly, whilst the wines of Rolly Gassmann truly belong in the first category, they are often misunderstood and shunned for being too sweet or even misinterpreted as Germanic. Alas the message gets sadly lost in a spittoon or down the plug hole.

Don’t get me wrong, the Gassmanns don’t really do analytically dry wines; nevertheless, the residual sugar is perhaps the key to their two fold message. On the one hand, you have their love and appreciation of food. A lick of sweetness invariably brings a diversity and food friendliness to the wines and when you consider the hearty cuisine of their culture, it makes perfect sense. On the other hand, and perhaps more importantly, they are soil/terroir evangelists, whose message is found in the truth and harmony of the wines, for which a necessary degree of RS is required. Furthermore, the idiosyncrasies of each lieu dit evolve and command a greater presence with age, which sees the acidity come through the adolescent residual sugar, to deliver a beautiful and exquisite balance. It is generally acknowledged that for the most part, Gassmann wines should be approached with caution before at least 5 years of age in bottle and despite the financial strain they put themselves under, the Gassmanns try to see to it that their wines are only released when they deem them ready. By no means am I trying to warn you off pulling the cork on a younger bottle, as there is often immense pleasure in this too, whether it be with food or simply in search of something soothing on a hot day.

To the offer in hand, which was delayed out of the necessity to escape drowning in the sea of 2009 Bordeaux En-Primeur and disappearing in overflowing inboxes of the holiday season. Without a doubt, 2008 is a fantastic vintage in Alsace - and you’ll find a few listed below - however, instead of reeling out a vintage lead offer, we felt it would be more worthwhile trying to enlighten the world to the Gassmann terroirs and their resultant pleasures. I wholeheartedly and subjectively believe that these wines deserve a wider audience and appreciation, given they are also arguably overlooked for not being the product of any officially recognized Grand Crus (more can be read on that in our in depth Rolly Gassmann biography on our website: www.r-w.co.uk ) Those fortunate to have tasted chez R-G have undoubtedly been subjected to their marathon status, yet I must applaud Pierre for his unwillingness to acknowledge the white flags of resignation of many a taster or to adhere to a tasting guideline. Personally, I feel very privileged to have received such a generous and detailed education of terroir and vintage, even if it doesn’t seem that way after the 130th wine…

Benjamin Ireson