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Just back from a dinner at Upstairs on the Square with wines from the oldest biodynamic winery in Alsace.  An aperitif of Kreydenweiiss 2005 Kritt Pinot Blanc “les Charmes” was full of depth and honey, like drinking flowers.  The 2007 Andlau Riesling “Au dessus de la loi” (with nice botrytis) paired surprisingly well with an elegant dungeness crab creation while the 2007 came alive with a dish of locally foraged mushrooms — which was also fine with the 2006 classic rose-scented 2006 Kritt Gewurtztraminer “les Charmes.”

All these wines this evening came from Marc Kreydenweiss, a family that has owned vineyards in Alsace for 300 years.  In 1999, when they wanted to expand, Emmanuelle K. explained, they bought in Costieres de Nimes which is now part of the Rhone but 10 years ago was a tiny obscure appellation.

The two reds from the Rhone were startlingly lush, especially considering their under $20-ish price: 2005 Perrieres, a lovely earthy match to lightly wood-grilled lamb loin.  The 2004 Ansata (80% syrah) had big flavors to go with its big structure and tannins, and still felt like a very young wine at five years old.

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3. testing wine gadgets