Description
Jean Boxler, currently rules the roost at this humble yet incredibly exciting domaine. Intense and serious about his land, his craft, and his wine, Jean is the genius behind what are certainly some of the finest white wines in Alsace (and the world). World War II brought Jean’s grandfather Albert back to Niedermorschwihr from Montana, where he was busy enjoying the natural gifts of big sky country. He became the first generation to bottle the family’s production himself and commercialize it under a family label. Tasting through the entire range of Boxler’s wines is ample proof of the fact that Alsace, along with Burgundy, is the source of the world’s most complex, exciting white wines, and will probably always be.
The recycling bin outside the average Alsatian household likely contains more empty bottles of Sylvaner than of “noble” Riesling, Pinot Gris, Muscat, and Gewurztraminer combined. It comes as no surprise: with unrivaled versatility at table and guaranteed mouthwatering abilities, the grape brings something new and fresh to the table. André Ostertag’s fine old-vine rendition, for example, provides utter satisfaction vintage after vintage, and Sylvaner has even achieved grand cru recognition in the Zotzenberg vineyard, a site more than capable of yielding long-lived whites that bear a rich complexity. Jean Boxler is another accomplished ambassador of the variety, and the remarkable finesse of his sleek, stony, apple blossom–scented bottling suggests that Sylvaner possesses some noble DNA of its own.
