July Wine Focus: Alsace and its grapes

[Robin Garr]

Alsace and its grapes, wherever they are grown: Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Silvaner, Pinot Gris, Auxerrois, and more. Get an Alsace wine if you can, or bring a wine from anywhere made from a grape that Alsace does well. We're easy this month!

[David M. Bueker]

So many options in the cellar at Schloss Bueker.

Checking my inventory on CT, I have a fair assortment but only have one bottle which is not Riesling, namely a basic Gewurz from Trimbach. One of the Rieslings, Clos St.Hune VT 89, is definitely a THAT bottle but, being quite sweet, it is difficult to pair. Any suggestions?

Most of Alsatian grapes are also grown in Luxembourg and are generally very modestly priced there. When I was living in Belgium, I often picked up some bottles when passing through from Brussels to Italy, Switzerland or the SE of France or more likely on the return journey. They were usually well made and enjoyable drinks but not on a par for Riesling with what can be achieved just over the frontier in the German part of the Mosel valley. I often wondered why?

There is a Norman producer of Auxerrois just about 25km from here. I'll try to get over there this month. His Pinot Noir is good too.

A category is which Alsace excels is clear coloured dry fruit brandies (eaux de vie blanches). I at present have unfinished bottles of framboise and prune de ferme très vieille, both delicious.

[David M. Bueker]

No specific notes, but had a 2011 Z-H Gewurz VT tonight that was just delicious. All the classic Gewurz aromas and flavors made for a great match with our cheese plate. Yummy.

[David M. Bueker]

• 2012 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese feinherb Ur Alte Reben - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (7/3/2020)
  Shared with friends at an outdoor, distanced get together, this brought us all a lot closer. If I had to pick a single word to describe the wine it would be harmony. Everything was exactly where it needed to be. This was the first vintage for the wine, so I had been wondering when it would hit an early peak of deliciousness. Now I know!

I had a Z-H Gewurz VT back in the 90s. I don't remember the vintage. It got a score in the high 90s from Parker. It was awful. It did an absolute belly flop on the palate. High alcohol and no supporting acidity whatsoever. On the Stooges scale, it was a Joe Besser, perhaps a Curly Joe DeRita. It put me off Z-H as a producer for good.

-Paul W.

Trimbach. One of our reliable producers, for Riesling and Pinot Blanc. In 2019 we enjoyed the 2008 basic Riesling -- it had aged well and maybe even had another year or two before fading.

Have a few wines made from Alsatian grapes, all domestic. Will see which ones we enjoy this month. All fun to be determined.

[David M. Bueker]

Checking my inventory on CT, I have a fair assortment but only have one bottle which is not Riesling, namely a basic Gewurz from Trimbach. One of the Rieslings, Clos St.Hune VT 89, is definitely a THAT bottle but, being quite sweet, it is difficult to pair. Any suggestions?

Most of Alsatian grapes are also grown in Luxembourg and are generally very modestly priced there. When I was living in Belgium, I often picked up some bottles when passing through from Brussels to Italy, Switzerland or the SE of France or more likely on the return journey. They were usually well made and enjoyable drinks but not on a par for Riesling with what can be achieved just over the frontier in the German part of the Mosel valley. I often wondered why?

There is a Norman producer of Auxerrois just about 25km from here. I'll try to get over there this month. His Pinot Noir is good too.

A category is which Alsace excels is clear coloured dry fruit brandies (eaux de vie blanches). I at present have unfinished bottles of framboise and prune de ferme très vieille, both delicious.

Tim,

I would just serve the CSH VT with cheese.

Not from the grape, but one of the best types of drink from Alsace -

NV J. Nusbaumer Steige Mirabelle - France (02/06/2020)
I just discovered that this bottle, emptied about a month ago, was still in my inventory. From memory, it was a beautiful drink capturing well the softer nature of mirabelle compared with that of most other plums, yet having enough tang from the skins to prevent blandness. Like the spirits from most fruit in this bottling category at Nusbaumer, it lacks the intensity and impact of the superb prestige bottling of prune de ferme, but this more understated style may be preferable for many people. Very good.
Posted from CellarTracker

One of the Rieslings, Clos St.Hune VT 89, is definitely a THAT bottle but, being quite sweet, it is difficult to pair. Any suggestions?

Königsberger Klopse https://www.effilee.de/konigsberger-klopse/

We recently had it with a Graacher Himmelreich 2016 Spätlese from J.J. Prüm. It was a surprising marriage.

I could imagine it would also go well with such a mature gem.

Winfried

July 4th wine. Felt patriotic, and chose a domestic. As we usually do for Thanksgiving as well. But it is an Alsatian grape.

Sojourn Pinot Noir, Sangiacomo Vineyard, Sonoma County, 2010. Decided to use my Christmas toy, a Coravin. Learned that an old, dry cork = leakage when pouring. Pulled wine out of toy, removed cork the usual way. Cork so dry that Dear Husband literally broke it in two, plus little pieces. Easily. Next time we will try the "vintage needle" for old wines. More appropriate gauge.

Once we actually neatly poured the juice, the wine seems at prime to me and varietally correct. Cherry, strawberry, acid, hint of pepper/baking spices. Nothing vegetal/earthy yet; however, more than half the bottle remains.

Years ago, belonged to a wine club that would put leftover wines on sale. Nabbed the Sojourn for <$40. Glad that I did; now the stuff seems to go for $60. I'm not buying. But still a nice splurge for a holiday.

Any thoughts from Coravin experts and other insights always welcome.

PN Cheers!

[David M. Bueker]

Probably better than any Alsatian Pinot Noir.

[Jenise]

Pat, not too much oak on that guy? Only Sojourn I ever had was pretty seriously oaked.

No help on the Coravin, I don't own one. There are always two of us to share a bottle so we don't need help with preservation.

I wouldn't say too much oak, Jenise. There were clearly tannins with oak and vanilla both there, but it seemed smoothed out to me. Could be the 10-year aging on a basically decent bottle. FWIW the bottle had stood up for 2 days prior to opening. Still have some left to check out in a day or two.

[Jenise]

It's the vanilla thing I'm talking about. For me, that's when there's too much oak--it's just not a flavor I get along with.

I read that Schlumberger downgraded all their 2016 GCs in Kitterlé and Kessler and part of Saering because of high yields. This bottle must one of a small batch which they allowed through. For once, I don't have to repeat my frequent rant about undisclosed sugar in Alsace Riesling.

2016 Domaines Schlumberger Riesling Saering - France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru (15/07/2020)
Like the previous bottle, there was no doubt that this was a dry, mineral and sharply focussed wine with roundness, fragrance and varietally typical petrol hints. However it was less successful as a pairing for crab and assorted mushrooms than previously with barbue. Very good though.
Posted from CellarTracker

[David M. Bueker]

Interesting. I have never had the Saering from Schlumberger. I do enjoy it from Dirler-Cade.

[Jenise]

2014 Schoffit Pinot Gris Harth Alsace
Recent local purchase in the mid $20's. Initially heavy on pineapple-coconut but the second half after four days in the fridge, accidentally uncorked all that time to boot, put those in the background with more lime and pear. Dry with stunning acidity and minerality. What a bargain to find this kind of wine with the extra bottle age.

2014 of this label was their current vintage in september 2019 in their Colmar tasting room (€ 11).

In Alsace it is rather common that, apart from base wines, medium and high ranges are proposed aged around 4-8 years or more.

Roberto

Have been wondering about 2015 GGs and while I cannot claim any broader knowledge, this 2015 Heymann-Löwenstein Winninger Uhlen "R" Roth Lay was certainly well worth opening. A bit shy at first, but a quick decant let it blossom and serve as a splendid accompaniment to clam risotto topped with fresh thyme from the garden.

The fruit is 2015 full firm and ripe, but also very detailed and precise and not a smidgen of flab or fat. Plus, right now, the flavors are leaning verdant, which is fine by me. I love the light touch for such a powerful wine and will wait a while on the next bottles, but very much look forward to them.

[David M. Bueker]

Drinking stuff made from Alsatian grapes, and forgetting about this thread. The Dirty & Rowdy Sparkling Pinot Blanc and lots of German Riesling to name the obvious stuff. I may have a Silvaner somewhere in the cellar.

Oops.

Another PN. Hilliard-Bruce 2012, Sta. Rita Hills. Overall impression: graceful aging. Red fruit, hint of mint, and on the palate a hint of clove emerges as well. Slight vanilla, but not overoaked for us. (Might be for some others though....Jenise?)

Backstory. I was at a PN tasting a few years ago. John Hilliard made PN, his wife Christine Bruce made Chard. At the PN tasting, met John. This was supposed to be a PN tasting. But the first words he spoke were: "would you like to try my wife's Chardonnay"? Out it came from under the table. Smart man.

So I tasted both wines and was impressed. About a year later, a LWS had the 2012 vintage on sale for $25 + tax. Bought 2 for us, 1 for my SIL. Within a year or so I get a message from SIL with pic of the bottle. Several thumbs up.

This was our second bottle. Don't regret the purchase. When I googled the winery today, it seems the winery went on the market in 2018, turnkey. In 2019, it seems it closed due to John Hilliard's illness. Whatever the issues are, I can only wish them well.

You never know.

[Jenise]

Pat, I've only Hilliard Bruce's chardonnay. Bought four on a whim in a flash sale, and they were highly extracted and tropical. Not what I like.

But say: why not buy and try a real Alsatian wine for Focus? I think that's really the best purpose of this feature: exploration. I bought that Schoffit I posted about just to enable my participation as I own very little from this region. Very glad I did, I'll pick up some more!

Jenise, Alsace is on my to-buy list. It's been a while. As in 2019.