Deiss is causing trouble

How exactly does removing the name of the grape stress the terroir?
Riesling, for instance, is the pure terroir grape. I think the terroir would be diminished without riesling on the label.
 
originally posted by SteveTimko:
I'm lostHow exactly does removing the name of the grape stress the terroir?
Riesling, for instance, is the pure terroir grape. I think the terroir would be diminished without riesling on the label.
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Burgundy-envy. Of course Burgundy has a much more restricted set of grapes.
 
While there are certainly site-expressive blends in Alsace, Deiss doesn't make any of them. This is an insane idea on multiple levels.
 
Gee, I wonder which guy holds interplanted vineyard land? Talk about self-serving! The other domaines should vote to institute flurbereinigung in Bergheim. That will fix him!
 
Now I'm feeling paranoid. I thought maybe this was about the piece in the Wall Street Journal a couple of days back...

But it's just about the Alsatian branch of the family.

F
 
I was in a wine shop the other day & while browsing the Alsace section the proprietor ushered me to the Deiss wines & asked why such amazing wines did not sell. My response: "because they're crap" did not go over so well.
 
originally posted by David M. Bueker:
I was in a wine shop the other day & while browsing the Alsace section the proprietor ushered me to the Deiss wines & asked why such amazing wines did not sell. My response: "because they're crap" did not go over so well.
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LOL, I wouldn't go quite that far but I've never tried one that inspired me to actually pay money for them.
 
What's the general beef with Deiss's wines?
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They're grossly imbalanced towards fat, they rarely reflect their terroir (being overwhelmed by their Deiss house signature, which rather defeats their alleged and much-hyped point), they're clumsy, they don't age very well (or sometimes at all), and for all this one is asked to pay a rather stiff tariff.

Other than that, they're great. Very pretty labels. Strong glass. Nice bottle shape. And JM Deiss makes a very compelling -- well, lengthy -- argument for why he's super-duper-talented in ways that none of his neighbors are. What's not to like about that? Unless, I guess, you're one of said neighbors...
 
originally posted by Thor:
What's the general beef with Deiss's wines?
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They're grossly imbalanced towards fat, they rarely reflect their terroir (being overwhelmed by their Deiss house signature, which rather defeats their alleged and much-hyped point), they're clumsy, they don't age very well (or sometimes at all), and for all this one is asked to pay a rather stiff tariff.

Other than that, they're great. Very pretty labels. Strong glass. Nice bottle shape. And JM Deiss makes a very compelling -- well, lengthy -- argument for why he's super-duper-talented in ways that none of his neighbors are. What's not to like about that? Unless, I guess, you're one of said neighbors...
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Thanks.
 
To pile on, I quite like the taste of Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurtztraminer. I think they all are delicious, individually. Together, the individuality gets muddled, and the resulting soup just loses the unique character and interest of the grapes. How good would a salad be with lemons, radishes, lychees and rosewater? They just don't go together in a harmonious way.

Plus, the wines are too expensive.
 
Not to be the lone dissenter here, but I buy Deiss wines at auction at reasonable prices and serve them to winegeeky associates who wouldn't otherwise deign to lift their noses from outta their Montrachets (served in Riedel Montrachet stems, of course) in favor of a wine in a tall, skinny bottle. The aromatic profile and rich texture of the Deiss field blends gets their attention during the shrimp cocktail (or fried calimari) course and is even rich enough to adequately move a prime steak down their gullet in an appropriate manner (whether in a restaurant or cooked in a domestic situation after having been picked up on the cheap at Costco or Walmart or Big Lots! on the suggestion of that American Deis guy in the newspapers).

The next time I dine with these mooks, they're more inclined to be open to try a more traditional Alsace wine (or even a grner veltliner or something really odd) as they try to recreate the Deiss buzz. Do they immediately become collectors of Clos St Hune? No way, but at least they've been exposed to something other than Bordeaux, CA Cabs, and chardonnay and its variants. It's missionary work at its most base level, but it's worked over and over again throughout the years.

-Eden (I've been known to do some strange things to increase the scope of the oeno-evangelical outreach program)
 
Yeah, really. Loose lips sink riesling, Eden.

Anyway, I don't think you're the lone dissenter. Cory loves the wines too, if I'm not mistaken.
 
My only experience with Deiss is his 2006 Pinot Blanc Bergheim, which definitely was big but also had a ton of billowing flint-like minerality. In its weight it reminded me of a sptlese, but it was nearly dry. I liked it.
 
I'm surrounded by folks who get all up and excited about Deiss' wines, but I've never seen why. I completely agree with Thor's analysis. All this time I've just kept my mouth shut and quietly rolled my eyes as people go on and on about the pre-sale pricing and such. They always look a bit shocked when I tell them I never buy the stuff.

As for the labeling issue, I also think this is a major mistake. Alsace is a hard category and this will only make things more difficult. If anything, there should be some labeling standard for residual sugar. That is to say the labels need more information on them, not less.

Normally I like appellation only labels, but one has to have done it that way for a long, long time before the consumer can figure it all out. Burgundy wasn't built in a day.
 
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