En route to Amsterdam the towering presence of Olivier Humbrecht MW stooped into Basingstoke last week to show off his fine 2007s.

It seems eastern France fared better than their western counterparts in ’07, judging by the quality of White Burgundy, Chablis and the Rhone; and of course those of the Rhine!

Nevertheless we were stunned into silence by a breathtaking range of pure wines. The racy Clos Windsbuhl shone in all three ‘disciplines’ Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer; the latter my star wine of the domaine. But so did nearly all his Gewurztraminers, for this was evidently their year, finer even than the 2005s. I loved the wet-stone raciness of his Rieslings too, from the cool Clos Hauserer to the floral prettiness and depth of Old Vine GC Brand and on to the orangey, burnt, peaty Rangen de Thann; the vinous equivalent of one of his beloved island malts!

Whether it’s biodynamics or plain good ol’ husbandry, Olivier’s wines remained remarkably fresh even alongside hefty alcohol and residual sugar levels. He pointed out (as we swayed somewhat) that not so long ago the wines would have stopped fermenting at 12.5/13 only to leave a dollop of obvious sugar. Whereas now he finds his wild yeast are able to motor on, fermenting all year long on their lees whatever the potential sugar level to achieve perfect balance; the biodynamic benefit surely of retaining better acidities in the fruit.

Olivier remains a Master of his craft; the vibrant wines reflecting the evident care with which he tends his vines.