Stephen Brook: Curious but not unappealing nose of mandarin, apple compote, and mango. Lightly sweet, with delicacy and freshness, despite its age. The wine is coasting along nicely and is silky and well balanced. It’s not clear in what way it has benefited from such long cellaring, but it works, with enough zest to counter the weight of a vendange tardive style. Quite good length 17

Alison Buchanan: What does one expect from a 1997 Alsace? Not this alien green creature. Green character and a super-honeyed combination on the palate—seemingly impossible. 1

Anthony Rose: There’s some honeyed sweetness and Muscat spice on the nose of this mature Muscat, with some spicy fruit richness on the palate, and it’s still relatively lively and fresh, thanks to a degree of fruit concentration and honeyed richness. And yet the question that lingers is, Why would you want to keep an Alsace Muscat with nice fruit for so long that it loses most of its zip, freshness, and definition? Some might; I wouldn’t 14