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Albert Mann

Albert Mann is one of the top producers based in Wettolsheim, a wine village in the Haut-Rhin, the more southerly wine-making region of Alsace. This firm was established in the 18th century, and now owns over 12 hectares of vineyards, spread through Wettolsheim and a number of nearby villages. These include plots in several grands crus, namely Schlossberg, Furstentum, Hengst and Steingrubler. Domaine Albert Mann also owns part of Pfleck, a lieu-dit with sandy soils just south of the grand cru Steingrubler, where they have Riesling planted.

Albert Mann is garnering a reputation as a good producer of dry wines, although they are not bone dry in the style of Trimbach. These wines have a different approach, with sufficient sugar to provide a greater sense of balance. In particular the Gewürztraminer from Hengst and the Riesling from Schlossberg are both worthy wines, although the generic wines also receive praise. (10/9/01)

Contact details:
Address: 13, rue du Château, 68920 Wettolsheim
Telephone: +33 (0) 3 89 80 62 00
Fax: +33 (0) 3 89 80 34 23
Internet: www.albertmann.com
GPS: 48.056546, 7.298483

Albert Mann - Tasting Notes

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Albert Mann Pinot Blanc Auxerrois 2000: A great nose here, rich and expressive, full of pear and melon fruit. It has some fresh, green notes which only make it seem potentially more refreshing. The palate has lovely weight, with a creamy texture, perhaps bordering on oily, but with a grainy, grippy edge. Fine acidity, some spice and plenty of fruit. This is how I like Alsatian Pinot Blanc - full of fruit, easy to drink and unpretentious. 15.5/20 (February 2002)

Albert Mann Tokay Pinot Gris Vieilles Vignes 1999: A clear, pale golden colour. Fresh and laden with fruit on the nose, with slightly honeyed, tropical fruits. A hint of banana and smoke, but no spice. The palate is equally fresh, with a mouthful of fruit cut through with delightfully crisp, sharp and tingling acidity, providing a wonderful sense of balance. There is a striking depth of flavour, and quite some weight develops towards the endpalate. Short finish, but immensely enjoyable. 16.5/20 (October 2001)

Albert Mann Muscat 1999: A very pale wine with a hint of green. A clean and aromatic nose, with juicy apples and pears. The palate is very attractive, with a fleshy texture with good apple, pear and melon flavours, with notes of flowers, spice and minerals taking a back seat. Lovely fresh acidity and quite dry, very much in the style of this producer. It thus has quite good balance, although the alcohol is a touch incongruous, particularly on the endpalate. Nevertheless, quite a restrained, elegant and yet characterful example of this variety. 16/20 (September 2001)

Albert Mann Pinot Blanc Auxerrois 1999: A pale wine. Quite rich Pinot Blanc aromas on the nose, with apples, pears and some dry tropical fruits, with just a hint of mealy complexity. Good fruit on the palate, leaning towards a tropical and stone fruit profile. Despite the depth of flavour it has a medium body with a good texture and sensible weight, balanced with a streak of lean, tingling acidity. Overall a fresh and fairly dry wine, perfect for food. 15/20 (September 2001)

Albert Mann Furstentum Gewürztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles 1994: This now looks very mature, with a rich, deep, perhaps slightly worrying orange-gold hue. Aromatically it feels very evolved, with a sense of dryness to it, a faint woodiness with spicy, sweet-scented sandalwood character, and paradoxically a dense suggestion of sweetness, rich and evolved fruit elements which call to mind baked oranges. There are plenty of nuances alongside this which strongly suggest the advance of oxidation, a little touch of toffee, and alongside that hint of dried wood I first noticed there are scents of nutty caramel and baked earth. Despite this I find the palate to be fresh, vibrant and well-structured despite the intense sweetness that comes from the sides bringing more toffee and nut flavours rather than the exotic Gewurztraminer fruit I might have preferred. It remains very rich, weighty and well fleshed out throughout. This is certainly not drying out in the mouth, despite that drying sensation on the nose which is more related to a vein of oxidation I think. Firm in the finish, quite grippy here too, I adore the weight of this, and the sappy edge in the finish. This wine wears its age on its sleeve I think, but there is still some grippy pleasure here, although there's no denying it feels rather tired and may have been better five years ago. For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 15/20 (November 2011)