Pierre Sparr Gewürztraminer Vendanges Tardives 2002

I had dinner alone tonight (Kelly is out of town) so thank God this bottle is only 500ml. It’s so delicious I counld’t possibly have stopped before it was gone. WS talks about “litchi, rose, spice and grapefruit,” and also says it has “bright structure.” I only partially agree - maybe its because they tasted it almost four years ago. Maybe there is some lychee left - I think I would have guessed it as Gewurtz if I were tasting blind - but the lychee doesn’t jump out the way it often does in a younger Gewutz. But what does jump out is the structure. I wouldn’t call it bright - unctuous is better. Almost fatty - decadent even, but perfectly balanced. I agree with the rose and the finish of grapefruit. I suspect the differences between WS and what I taste arise because because they tasted it almost four years ago. Time has toned down the lychee and softened the brightness, but given it a mature body that is immensely appealing. WS gave it a score of 92, and I’ll agree with that. I’m tempted to go higher, but I was hungry when I opened the bottle and I know that always inflates the score. (Now I just have to hope that Kelly doesn’t check the blog when she gets home, or she’ll kill me for not having saved her some.)

Price: Approx $34 (500ml)
Score: 92
Value: 4/5
Region: Alsace, France
UPC: No longer available