Interesting, to lead with (what would become) my wine of the night. This was perhaps the most Mosel-like of all the wines (and probably the reason it was my favourite). This has tons of sweet apricots on the huge nose, as well as a faint whiff of reduction. The palate has the density and richness of a fairly ripe Auslese, but with perhaps a third the sensation of sweetness. A fair amount of acidity balances this.

This was overshadowed, alas, by the incredible Clos Häuserer, but was still a solid riesling in its own right. The nose was relatively smoky, and this is in a leaner, less exuberant style, though this still had some very nice acidity to go with it. Less sweet and leaner, with some really nice brown-sugar-dusted pineapple on the finish.

Between the 93 and 94, there were a few of us who said similar things about the opposite wines. So who knows what's really going on? I thought this was a bit of a heftier wine, showing a bit too brooding. This was very big, and although this did have the necessary acidity, it wasn't able to lift up this clunkier wine.

This was much more herbaceous than the 1993. Lighter, to be sure, with a bit less density. Brighter, as well, the acidity here was a little bit fresher. However, this didn't quite have the concentration and fruit, and I thought it came across a little boring, like there wasn't much to say. A few of us at the table had the relative descriptions of the 1993 and 1994 switched, so who knows if we were all talking about the same wine? In any case, I repoured this one to verify that I had the right one.

This is the sort of wine that had me turned off from Alsace initially. Bone dry, although there's a good vein of acidity, but it's that thick, waxy, oiliness here that I just can't get through.

Nowhere as good as the 1994, although there are many similar elements here -- very nice stone fruit, the freshness, and a good acidic backbone. On the other hand, it's seems that this wine is a bit riper, and with that, this loses a bit of the elegant leanness, even though this doesn't seem to be quite as sweet as the 1994.

Next to the 1995 Pinot Gris, I much preferred this wine. This had a light, sherried mushroom quality on the nose that was alluring. More floral, lighter, and elegant, I also perceived this to be a little less ripe, which in mind is a good thing. The finish showed slightly almondy and bitter.

Very thick, this was a lot riper and denser than the 1993 Tokay-PG. The nose here had a fair bit of animal funk and barnyard. This had a lot of fruit, but I didn't like the heft of this wine, finding this lacking elegance, and the odd barnyard nose was a little off-putting too.

Served blind, in a flight of one riesling and two pinot grises. The giveaway here was the green notes on the nose, and the heightened acidity compared to the other two wines. Good freshness and nice cut, this is a very bright and zipping riesling, and although there wasn't any heaviness, I do find myself wishing that this had a little bit of sugar to round out the sharp edges.

Served blind and easily identified as PG. Again, this is another example of those blowsy Alsatian wines that fail to convince. Thick and oily, with some bitterness, although there is at least redeeming acidity. Not my jam.

Served blind, and identified as pinot gris. Oddly enough, this was one of my favourite wines of the evening. This had a darker golden colour, which in my mind seemed to indicate some heavy botrytis here -- there was indeed some of the telltale orange peel and spice flavours on the nose and palate. This is rounded and rich, and although it still has that thick waxy feel, the sugar helps a lot to balance it out.