2006 Domaine Weinbach Pinot Gris Cuvée Ste. Catherine - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC (12/10/2009)
I was invited to a Wine Spectator sponsored tasting of a few Alsatian wines last night. The tasting was at Drago Centro in downtown LA. Let me say that the restaurants beautiful and I very much enjoyed myself among the non-trade, which was a change of pace for me. There were several wines paired with different food "tastes". By a large margin, this wine was the clear leader among the pack which included: NV Albrecht Brut Cremant, '07 Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris (very good), a Schlumberger Gewurztraminer Fleur-can't remember the vintage and a Pinot Blanc-can't remember the producer.
The Weinbach was everything I love about Alsatian wine: clean crisp flavors, cutting acidity, superb balance and length, and amazing vibrancy. The fruit flirts with sweetness and although it sees a later harvest, I never did find out if this has RS. If it does, it's very well hidden under a beautiful wall of fruit and acidity. I could drink this all night long and basically did. It was not paired with the pork belly but it worked remarkably well with it. I would definitely seek this wine out and recommend it to anyone interested in great wine for not a hefty sum.
