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Bott-Geyl

The Domaine Bott-Geyl, established in 1947, is a family-owned domaine now run by Jean-Christophe Bott. Based in Beblenheim, the source of many of the grapes for their wines, the domaine owns a total of 13 hectares of vines, including some in a number of Grand Cru sites. These include Sonnenglanz, Schoenenbourg, Mandelberg and Furstentum.

Over recent years this domaine has improved considerably, and is now widely considered as one of the better and more reliable domaines in Alsace. Few would yet rank it alongside the top estates such as Trimbach, Weinbach, Zind-Humbrecht or Schoffit, however, although some would argue this point. Certainly, the wines have found favour with a number of influential wine critics. Steven Tanzer describes them as fruit driven and "user-friendly", and obviously enjoys the wines. Robert Parker rates the domaine as "excellent", and quotes the purity, concentration, multilayered textures and faithful varietal characteristics as reasons for his finding the wines of this estate so enjoyable.

Viticultural techniques at Bott-Geyl are described by Jean-Christophe Bott as "nearly organic". The vines average thirty years of age. Hand-harvesting, gentle pressings and fermentation using only natural, indigenous yeasts are the norm at this domaine. After fermentation, the wines may spend some time on their lees (dead yeasts), perhaps up to six months. This helps the wines develop richness, and has no doubt contributed to the popularity these wines enjoy.

The domaine produces some 8000 cases of wines per year, a tawdry amount considering there are at least sixteen different wines produced. The basic varietal wines are labelled according to the village from where the grapes were grown. When it comes to the Grand Cru wines, these are obviously labelled according to the Grand Cru in question. As mentioned above, Bott-Geyl owns vines in a number of sites, but I personally feel that Sonnenglanz and Furstentum are the two most significant. Furstentum is responsible for some superb Rieslings, and Sonnenglanz is of interest because of the delicious Tokay Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminers that originate from this site. Bott-Geyl is widely regarded as the top producer of Sonnenglanz wines. (27/06/01)

Contact details:
Address: 1 rue du Petit Chateau, 68980 Beblenheim
Telephone: +33 (0) 3 89 47 90 04
Fax: +33 (0) 3 89 47 97 33
Internet: www.bott-geyl.com

Bott-Geyl - Tasting Notes

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Bott-Geyl Pinot Gris Beblenheim 1999: Not an intensely coloured wine, but a typically enticing Pinot Gris nose full of pear, apple and pineapple fruit salad. Richly textured on the palate, with bags of spicy fruit. Fairly sharp and tingling yet balanced acidity. Carries the alcohol (a whopping 13.5% here) quite well at lower temperatures, but seems a little more disjointed as the wine warms in the glass. Certainly lots of alcohol on the finish. 15/20 (June 2001)

Bott-Geyl Gewurztraminer Beblenheim 1999: A rich, densely coloured, golden wine. Classic aromas of freshly peeled lychees on the nose at first, later becoming much more perfumed, with good fruit aromas. Medium bodied, with quite a bit of residual sugar evident on entry onto the palate. Very fragrant and perfumed, but developing the typical oily weight of Gewurztraminer through the midpalate. Pear and lychee fruit flavours. The acidity is surprisingly low, the wine bordering on flabby as it warms in the glass. Finishes with spice and a bitter twist. 14.5/20 (June 2001)

Bott-Geyl Tokay Pinot Gris Grand Cru Sonnenglanz 1999: A lovely golden colour in the glass. On the nose, there are aromas of spice and pineapple. This is a ripe and fairly expressive nose. Nevertheless, the palate seems quite simple. Despite a luscious level of residual sugar, which gives an amazingly rich, hedonistic mouthfeel to the wine, there is little character to the wine at present. Just a subtle undercurrent of pineapple fruit and more spice, mirroring the nose. Great acidity though, and the upright structure makes this wine easy to drink despite the lack of interest. I would hope this latter problem would recede with the complexity that results from bottle age. 16+/20 (November 2001) Label

Bott-Geyl Gewurztraminer Sonnenglanz Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes 1998: A deep, almost burnished golden wine. A very expressive nose, laden with lychees, orange peel, lemon peel and candied fruits. Immediately on the forepalate the weight is evident, with a rich and luscious mouthfeel leading into a fat, round, almost oily palate, with more than a touch of sweet residual sugar. There is good, juicy grapefruit acidity throughout, however, as well as plenty of interest from the gently spiced, candied peel, cashew nut and citrus fruit flavours. The spice shows a little more prominence on the finish, which leads naturally into a slightly exotic, spicy length. 16.5/20 (June 2001)

Bott-Geyl Riesling Burgreben de Zellenberg 1997: The first bottle was corked - fortunately in this case I had a second bottle to hand. A well coloured lemon-gold wine, with an intense nose of honeyed limes and a suggestion of apricots. A fair weight on the palate, carrying it's alcohol (12%) quite well. Intense, sharp, lime juice flavours, developing a rounded character through the midpalate, but maintaining the strong acidic backbone. A flourish of floral aromatics on the drying, slightly astringent finish. 14.5/20 (June 2001)

Bott-Geyl Riesling Grafenreben de Zellenberg 1997: Pale but elegant looking yellow-green wine. The nose is laden with juicy limes, with contrasting hints of minerals and a touch of waxy lanolin. The forepalate is balanced, with some pure lime fruit, and a fresh, glacier-like cleanliness. Builds a little weight through the midpalate, with good limey acidity maintaining the balance. Alcohol seems well integrated. An astringent finish, a wine crying out for food. 15.5/20 (June 2001)

Bott-Geyl Gewürztraminer Furstentum Vendange Tardive 1997: A pale wine. The nose gives the impression of a full, sweet, perfumed wine. An impressive, full, almost oily texture on the palate. Matched by very good acidity - especially for this cépage. Great perfume. Rich but remains fresh, and a touch of complexity. 18/20 (September 2003)