We tasted last night at Pig+Fig two older whites:
1. Trimbach GWT Cuvee des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre AC: Alsace (13.5%; Esprit du Vin/PortWashington/NY) Trimbach/Ribeauville 2005: Deep gold color; beautiful very complex pencilly/nutmeg/very spicy classic old Alsatian GWT slight hair-oil/GWT very aromatic nose; lightly tart very elegant/delicate very spicy/nutmeg/pencilly slight hair-oil/GWT fairly rich/lush varietal/floral mature Alsace GWT very complex old Alsatian GWT flavor w/ no signs of oxidation whatsoever or fading; very long/lingering classic finish that mimics flavor; a beautiful example of a classic fully mature Alsatian GWT; perfection.
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2. Dr.Thanisch Bernkastler Doktor un Graben Auslese Bernkastel-Kues 1971: Deep gold color; slight earthy/bit musty (no TCA obvious that cleared somewhat some botrytis/peachy/ripe peach bit cedary very complex/interesting old R nose; lightly tart slight botrytis/peachy/ripe peach fairly rich/lush some cedary/pencilly/old R near dry slight earthy very complex lovely old R flavor; very long/linger finish that mirrors flavor and goes on&on; quite a lovely/complex example of an old German Auslese that seems to be fading somewhat. $nc (SueNoel)
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More more grabenkirkle from TheBloodyPulpit:
1. Trimbach: I took this to Sue's traditional NewYrsDay dinner of chacroute garni but decided not to open it because we already too many wines. So I stuck it into this tasting.
It was as close to perfection as you can get in a mature Alsatian GWT. No signs of oxidation whatsoever. It will probably go another 10 yrs at least w/ no increase in complexity and only quietly fading away into the sunset.
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2. Dr.Thanisch: This wine was a bit of an under-performer for me. The nose had a very quiet hint of non-TCA mustiness/Kansas root cellar that gradually faded somewhat. I was expecting a stronger botrytis signature in the nose & flavor. It was a wonderful expression of an older German Auslese but just seemed to have faded just a bit. No signs of oxidation or going downhill, just not the intensity I would have expected from a Doktor.
Tom