ALSACE

The vineyards of Alsace lie in a narrow band along the east- and southeast-facing slopes of the Vosges Mountains in northeast France. Yet latitude does not equal coolness, and, in fact, the summers can be quite hot and dry, making it a challenge to preserve the grapes’ natural acidity in the region’s Riesling, Pinot Gris and other aromatic varieties.

Like many wine regions of the world, the vintage conditions in Alsace are prone to dramatic changes, resulting in completely different expressions. The current vintages on the market—the 2016s, 2017s and recently released 2018s—show this in spades.

While 2016 suffered from disease pressure in spring, it was a year of classic expression. The 2017 vintage saw losses due to spring frost, but for what remained it was a great year without extremes. The 2016 and 2017 wines from the best producers bear this out beautifully: the 2016s with pronounced freshness and bright acidity, the 2017 with an exuberant fruit character with good balance. For Riesling in particualr it hits the spectrum of ripe rather than tart citrus, showing Mandarin and tangerine rather than lime.

Choosing between 2016, 2017 and 2018 is thus a matter of taste rather than quality.

For the 2018 vintage, a recurring term is “mellow.” From a record hot year across most of Europe, the wines produced from this vintage are rounded and mild in acidity.

Choosing between 2016, 2017 and 2018 is thus is a matter of taste rather than quality. If you like it snappy and fresh, pitch for the 2016s, if you like rounded opulence, enjoy the 2018s. If the middle ground is your game, check out the balanced 2017s.

Elsewhere in this issue’s Buying Guide you’ll find reviews from other Old World regions, such as Italy, Portugal and Spain. New World selections are also well represented, with California, Washington, Oregon, Argentina and Australia rounding out the category. As always, be sure to check out our extensive online database at for thousands more reviews.