2005 Altenberg de Bergheim Grand Cru Marcel Deiss, Elsass

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 2005 Altenberg de Bergheim Grand Cru, Marcel Deiss

Golden apricot in color, the 2005 Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergheim shows a great, deep, clear and complex nose with perfectly ripe, yellow-fleshed stone fruit, orange tea and tropical fruit aromas intertwined with white pepper and mineral, but also spicy, flavors form the skins. Full-bodied, finessed and highly elegant on the palate, this is a vibrant, fascinatingly clear, finessed, precise and mineral-piquant Altenberg with perfect concentration and a mouthwatering salinity in the finish. The tannins are fine, perfectly integrated and, in combination with the salinity and freshness, give the 2005 its remarkable, food-friendly structure. This is truly great wine, not in terms of power, but balance, concentration, tension, finesse and elegance. It will age for decades, although it drinks dangerously well even today, at the age of 17. - Stephan Reinhardt, Juni 2017