Wine Focus for May: The wines of Alsace!

Sam, I have always wondered where Trimbach's grapes that don't make it into the "réserve" go...

I hadn't tried any Alsatian pinot gris until just recently, but I was amazed at how well they age. Even the Oregon versions I'd had were nice but all about freshness.

2012 Knapp, Cayuga Lake, Dry Gewürztraminer ($14.95 US, Alcohol level: 12.5%). This wine is extremely similar to one from Trmbach tasted recently in taste, price, and alky. It has tangerine aroma on the nose and upfront, exotic spice in the middle, and a crisp finish.

We matched it with freshly made lobster salad on Romaine, and farro salad. Great Friday night dinner.

2012 Knapp, Cayuga Lake, Dry Gewürztraminer ($14.95 US, Alcohol level: 12.5%). This wine is extremely similar to one from Trmbach tasted recently in taste, price, and alky. It has tangerine aroma on the nose and upfront, exotic spice in the middle, and a crisp finish.

We matched it with freshly made lobster salad on Romaine, and farro salad. Great Friday night dinner.

That's quite a compliment. One of my favorite New England wines outside the Finger Lakes was a Sakonnet gewürz, from Rhode Island. Maybe the climate is more suitable than I thought.

2012 Fleurelle pinot blanc (Alsace) $15 at BevMo.
Pinot blanc is one of those varieties that I don't feel like I have a good sense of the hallmarks. Maybe that's because I don't have experience, or maybe it's that pinot blanc isn't that distinctive. I get a leesy character in some pinot blancs, including this one, but it doesn't have much else in the way of aroma or flavor. At least there's ample acid, so it's refreshing with food (hamburgers). Marked between dry and off-dry, I don't get any perceptible sweetness, so the balance is good. I just wish there was a little more character. Fair+.

I think that Pinot Blanc merits some consideration in Alsace and I intend to open one this weekend.

I think that Pinot Blanc merits some consideration in Alsace and I intend to open one this weekend.

Oh, I didn't say I don't like all pinot blanc; it was the white wine at my wedding! Just that I don't know what its hallmarks are.

One of the most enjoyable Pinot Blancs in recent memory came from an outfit in Alto Adige. Think I posted a note on the Weissburgunder here somewhere.

OK, here it is>

TN: 2011 Kellerie St. Magdalena Weissburgunder Sudtirol-Alto Adige.

Top quality winery, need to explore more. $21 Cdn, spur of the moment buy.

The color is a pale lemon. On the nose I get almost smoky, white stonefruit. Beeswax maybe, lemon lime. Dryish entry, no tropical fruits here forumites! Peach, some herbal character with mineral nuances. Not a creamy style at all. Vibrant, great balance all round.

I think that Pinot Blanc merits some consideration in Alsace and I intend to open one this weekend.

2011 Francois Lichtle Pinot Blanc .

$20 Cdn, SC, 12.5% alc, Husseren les Chateau.

South of Colmar, have visited area twice in the 90s. Good supper sipper. Not that complex, nice light white dry stonefruit, crisp, nice saline middle, and has a slight bitterness on the finish. Still going strong after 24 hrs. Young and up and coming winemaker here.

http://www.ot-eguisheim.fr/en/husseren- ... teaux.html

• 2010 Keuntz Alsace Blanc - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC (5/13/2014)
  I think this isn't legally an Edelzwicker because of the unusual c?age (60% sylvaner, 15% pinot auxerrois, 15% chasselas, 10% muscat), but it's in a similar vein. Lovely floral and mineral nose, plenty of acid, and develops nicely in the mouth. Good by itself or, in this case, with grilled chicken tacos. Dry. The only thing I would mark it down for is the agglomerate cork that has been printed in a cheap attempt to look like the solid variety. Very Good.

The one thing I don't understand is what Kermit Lynch has done to deserve his name on the front of the label. Did he make the wine? Then give credit where credit is due! Still, one of my perenniel favorites.

I haven't bought many Alsatian wines recently but a friend left a bottle of 2007 Francois Baur Herrenweg Riesling in our house. I don't have much experience with Baur, but this is nice if not glorious. The fruit is definitely mellowing but there is still plenty of juicy yet tart body and a lovely balanced drink of wine that is delicious with food and not bad at all without. I might explore these wines further, if I ever get around to it!

Alsace Auxerrois Vieilles Vignes 2011 - Domaine Albert Mann, Maurice et Jacky Barthelmé - Alc.12.5%.

I think that this is the first wine from the white Auxerrois grape which I have drunk and, on this evidence, I won't be hurrying to repeat the experience. The wine was quite rich with noticeable RS and low acidity in the manner of a lot of Alsatian Pinot Gris but without good PG's complexity. Albert Mann's website claims that they use a dryness/sweetness scale but I don't see one on this label and it led me into an unsuitable pairing with cold seafood for our first really warm Spring day; even the crab could have used something crisper.

The Auxerrois white grape (also known as Pinot d'Auxerre) is found in North Eastern France and is apparently much used in making Crémant d'Alsace, which surprises me given the low acidity of this bottle. I know nothing of its ancestry (information anyone?). It is not to be confused with the sometime local use of "Auxerrois" for Malbec in the Cahors region (and to help matters further "Côt" is also sometimes used at Cahors as well as in the Loire valley as an alternative local name for Malbec).

AUXERROIS BLANC:
Local name for variety, used for white wine production, grown in the northeast Moselle and Alsace regions of France. Used to produce mildly acidic wines that add a honied intensity to blends with the Pinot Blanc in the better vintage years. Is one of the 16 known varieties possibly directly descended from the ancient Pinot cepage x Gouais Blanc cross.

From http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineguest/wgg.html#auxerrois

• 2010 Keuntz Alsace Blanc - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC (5/13/2014)

...
The one thing I don't understand is what Kermit Lynch has done to deserve his name on the front of the label. Did he make the wine? Then give credit where credit is due!

He's been doing that with all of his wines in recent years, hasn't he? A bit shocking.

Jean Albrecht 2010 Pinot Blanc - Apple and lightly floral aromas are quite enticing, and confirmed by the initial tastes. Melon and stone fruit dance around with citrus with a mild minerally, lingering finish. Seems slightly off-dry, but that could be fruit and body confusing my palate. OK with food, but not enough acidity to make it great. It would probably work ok with spicy foods as a foil to the spice. Best when chilled as it sheds fruit quickly when warming up.

This note was not my original impression of the wine, which I actually opened on Monday. At that time I found the finish to be more along the lines of a badly over-oaked, malo'd Chardonnay with a bitter butterscotch finish. However, later that night I became ill, from what we think may have been food poisoning. Whatever the cause, apparently it affected my tasting ability - as I was starting to write this note I decided to re-visit the wine (it was under nitrogen and in the fridge) to confirm my impressions. It was not as bad as I thought, but still not good enough to buy again, even at $15.

I still have 5 other Albrecht wines to try for this month's theme: 2 Cremants, a Riesling, a Pinot Gris and a Gewurztraminer. Hopefully, they will be better than this one.

• 2010 Keuntz Alsace Blanc - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC (5/13/2014)

...
The one thing I don't understand is what Kermit Lynch has done to deserve his name on the front of the label. Did he make the wine? Then give credit where credit is due!

He's been doing that with all of his wines in recent years, hasn't he? A bit shocking.

Even worse, you can see who's the big dogs in his portfolio because they don't get the treatment. The newer and less well-known, the more prominent the words Imported by Kermit Lynch, Master of the Vinous Universe become.

In theme, here's a vendage tardive (late harvest) offering from an Oregon winery that specialized in pinot gris, though as far as I know this was the last VT, and it seems like the last vintage of Shea vineyard was 2005, as winemaker Mark Vlossak leases instead of owning. The technical data for the wine is here: http://www.stinnocentwine.com/NewFiles/pgvt99.html

• 1999 St. Innocent Pinot Gris Vendange Tardive Shea Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Yamhill County (5/17/2014)
  The cork was wet and slid out too easily, so it's possible my experience was not seeing the wine at its best; however it did not seem oxidized and it's been under climate control since I purchased it ex cellars in 2002. If anything it was young, with a very light straw color and only modest notes of age. The slight sugar was all effaced away by age, leaving the botrytis as the dominant impression. Went reasonably well with a pâté de campagne and mild blue cheese, but was flabby due to lack of acid. If there had been just a bit more sugar and acidic spine, I think I would have been really excited, but overall just Good+.
  

Posted from CellarTracker

Even worse, you can see who's the big dogs in his portfolio because they don't get the treatment. The newer and less well-known, the more prominent the words Imported by Kermit Lynch, Master of the Vinous Universe become.

It's been pretty obnoxious on the Foillard labels for a few years now, and I think he's pretty well-known and prominent (and even getting tightly allocated these days). But I have no idea what they do for others.

The image accompanying Robin's post

Domaines Schlumberger 2011 “Les Princes Abbés” Alsace Pinot Blanc

shows a label for Pinot Gris rather than Pinot Blanc. It has been there for 2 weeks. Did I miss something, is Robin testing us, or do folks not want to talk about the elephant?

[David M. Bueker]

2005 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Wintzenheim - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC (5/18/2014)
A little better than it was several years ago, but still dominated by its alcohol. The aromas are of grilled pineapple, but then it becomes some sort of grilled pineapple-tini. Too hot to give much pleasure.

[David M. Bueker]

2002 Albert Boxler Riesling Brand - France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru AOC (5/19/2014)
L32K for those keeping track of the arcane code numbers.

This is absolutely amazing Riesling right now. I am not even going to try to describe it. Just wow. It's in a perfect place. Drink some if you've got it!

These Boxlers and Zind-Humbrechts are pretty expensive, right? Do you generally find them better or worse values than German GGs?

[David M. Bueker]

ZH: worse value, but that is alrgely because I am not fond of ZH Rieslings
Boxler: about the same value as the GGs I care about (e.g. Donnhoff), with roughly similar pricing. boxler represents better value than some GGs (e.g. Keller, Rebholz) to my way of thinking just because some GGs are in the price stratosphere.

Opened a 2012 Boeckel Res. Pinot Blanc tonight with broccoli/swiss cheese/mushroom quiche. Nice match but the nose at first had a medicinal note that was off-putting. My wife, with a much better nose and palate than me, did not detect that. That note went away to be replaced by a poached pear nose and palate with a touch of spice. Acidity was good and the R.S. note on the label was "2" out of "9" and seemed correct, tasting almost dry. Not quite my style of Pinot Blanc as it seemed too light on fruit and somewhat bland. abv of 12.5% and $13 ( cork states from Mittelbergheim)

• 2010 Navarro Vineyards Gewürztraminer Estate Bottled Dry - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley (5/21/2014)
  3.38 pH, Titratable acidity: 7.2g/L, Residual Sugars: 0.18%. So many gewürztraminers are either overblown ogres or bubble gum simple. Navarro manages to walk the knife's edge, producing something serious but refreshing. There's deep fruit edged with characteristic florality, and a long finish. Just a hint of bitterness brings the whole package together. Very Good+.
  

Posted from CellarTracker

[David M. Bueker]

Love those Navarro bottlings. I need to open a bottle of the latest Dry Muscat soon. The 1 cent shipping special they periodically offer is another great inducement to buy.

[Robin Garr]

Albert Seltz 2010 Alsace Riesling ($16.99)

Clear gold color, rather intense. Rich, complex aromas and flavors that are intriguing but hard to pin down. There's fruit here, a piney-peachy mango character, and it's lovely but not forward. More offbeat but still intriguing scents vie for the palate's attention, minerally "petrol," a term that sounds offputting but in fact adds interest to Riesling. It's sensuous in texture, rich and full, yet tart and very nearly dry; if there's residual sugar here, it's hard to pick out. Mango and subtle mineral character persists into a very long finish, where it's joined by a pleasant touch of peach-pit bitterness. Excellent wine, Riesling in a style that's characteristically Alsatian. U.S. importer: Domaine Select Imports, NYC. (May 2, 2014)

FOOD MATCH: The richness of Alsace Riesling suggest their use with darker poultry - dark-meat chicken, duck or pheasant - or sweeter shellfish. I often pair it with spicy Asian fare. This one was excellent with a curry of cauliflower and cabbage with onions, garlic and ginger.

WHEN TO DRINK: Riesling can age gracefully and evolve into a higher order of complexity with careful cellaring, and even this relatively low-end model should last for years, assuming good storage conditions at constant cool temperature.

VALUE: Wine-Searcher.com shows a $15 U.S. median retail price. It's good enough that I'm not weeping bitter tears over my merchant's slightly higher price.

WEB LINK: Importer Domaine Select offers a brief fact sheet about Seltz's Rieslings,
http://www.domaineselect.com/page_templ ... ucerID=485
although neither this source nor the winery's French-only pages
http://www.albert-seltz.fr/
provide any information on this generic-level Riesling.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and check prices for Albert Seltz Alsace Riesling on Wine-Searcher.com.
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/alber ... g_site=WLP