Muller-Catoir Haardter Herrenletten Weissburgunder Spatlese Trocken, Pfalz, Germany

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Rendered entirely in thousand-liter casks, Muller-Catoir’s 2009 Haardter Herrenletten Weissburgunder Spatlese trocken displays resinous and toasty notes from the relative newness of those vessels, which also no doubt accentuate the slightly milky character it evinces on the palate. That noted, there is fresh apple fruit here and a sense of subtle mineral suffusion that combine for considerable satisfaction, and perhaps with a couple of years in bottle this will prove more convincing. But it certainly confirms my impression that the two lighter and in principle less-ambitious of Muller-Catoir’s Pinot Blanc trio are where the excitement lies. “Despite sporadic rain at harvest time,” notes Martin Franzen about the 2009 harvest, “cool weather kept botrytis completely at bay. Frankly,” he adds, “it was hard to make disappointing wine with raw materials of this caliber.” But it was also impossible to achieve nobly sweet results save from Rieslaner, with its notorious penchant for spontaneous desiccation even in the absence of botrytis. This is the first vintage, incidentally, for which this estate has claimed organic bona fides, and Franzen – even if predictably – claims to find additional depth in his wines thanks to that conversion. (Not that this estate has ever been anything but entirely circumspect in any use of herbicides or pesticides.)Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Muller-Catoir’s 2007 Haardter Herrenletten Weissburgunder Spatlese trocken reflects their continuing to single-out the site which they believe will most consistently give singular and optimally ripe results with the white Burgundy grape family. With pungent smokiness and citrus oil more akin to Pinot Gris in the nose, this voluminous wine’s richness and creaminess is underscored by its having entered into a malo-lactic transformation, which however also deprives it of some of the appealing juiciness that accrued to this year’s two other Pinot Blancs. Lanolin and milk as well as toasted nut notes carry into a finish that betrays very slight alcoholic heat and roughness. This wine is very much in the manner popular among Pfalz Grosses Gewachs bottlings of Pinot Blanc, but I think that style can short-changes the unique talents and charms of the variety. I would drink this within the next 3-4 years, even if it is capable of lasting much longer. There is more Pinot Gris going into the ground at Muller Catoir – as at many other Pfalz addresses – though I wonder even with a long history at this estate whether that may eventually appear to have been a short-term reaction to German fashion. You had to play poker and take some chances this year, remarked Martin Franzen, and based on the vinous evidence, he repeatedly played winning hands. The stylistic evolution of wines under Franzen’s and proprietor Philip Catoir’s direction – which I honestly find it difficult to understand why so many commentators view as utterly discontinuous with the legacy of legendary former cellar master Hans-Gunter Schwarz – has run toward increasing refinement and subtlety in the Rieslings, for which conditions in 2007 – assuming (as one can, here) impeccable viticultural husbandry and patience at harvest – were ultimately ideal (even as they had been problematic in 2006). Franzen has turned out the first totally masterful Scheurebe collection of his career this year. And the nobly sweet wines – including, improbably, six tour de force TBAs, among which are the estate’s first-ever from Muskateller and Weissburgunder and first Scheurebe TBA since 1964 – dazzle with the audacity and at times raucousness that routinely accrue to nobly sweet Pfalz 2007s, and are at their best unsurpassed. Nearly all of this year’s collection (save for one refusenik Rieslander TBA) had been bottled already in April, a bold strategy considering how downright unsettled by nature some of them are. But capturing all of their energy in bottle seemed to be the governing metaphor. I cannot resist pointing out that – in keeping with a lamentable national trend – there is now not just no halbtrocken wine here, but no middle ground: every wine this year is either legally trocken or obviously sweet. Muller-Catoir is increasing their acreage of Pinot Blanc – in itself a welcome development, although partisans of Rieslaner will be dismayed to learn that it is coming at that variety’s expense.Importer: Terry Theise Estate Selections, imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Inc., Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300