Alsatian? Pinot noir? Ice bucket?

[Jenise]

Interesting ad from Kermit Lynch for a Keuntz-Bas Alsatian pinot noir. Don't believe I've ever had one from Alsace.


In one of the most exciting developments in French wine in recent years, Alsace has become a source for excellent Pinot Noir. Domaines like Boxler, Ostertag, Meyer-Fonné, and Kuentz-Bas have shown a newfound focus on the grape, capitalizing on an increasingly favorable climate to make spectacular, distinct red wines. And because the eyes of Pinot Noir lovers are trained most heavily on nearby Burgundy, the best bottles from Alsace offer outstanding value across the price spectrum.

You won’t find a better value or introduction to Alsatian Pinot Noir than Kuentz-Bas’s. Clocking in at 12.5% alcohol, the 2022 is a light and joyous rendition of the grape. And while it was born in ancient foudres deep in a cold, dark cellar, its final destination should be in an ice bucket on a sunny patio. Biodynamic farming in Alsace’s cool, sunny, limestone terroirs yields exceptional freshness and purity, making this vibrant Pinot remarkably well suited to a variety of meals, from vegetable dishes to fish and my favorite, grilled chicken. If you haven’t yet succumbed to the charms of Alsatian Pinot Noir, now is the time!

[Robin Garr]

Alsace Pinot Noir can be pretty darn good! I recall having a fair amount of it during a summer visit to Alsace (which also featured a memorable WLDG dinner) back in the early '00s. It doesn't surprise me that it's getting more burgundian with climate change, so I'm pretty much down with everything KL is saying there. Except maybe for the ice bucket. That's weird, unless he's talking about giving it a very brief, light chill on that sun-baked patio.

PNs from Alsace, Sancerre and Germany (AKA Spätburgunder) are acquiring a growing reputation helped by climate change. The Alsatian versions from better known producers are becoming quite expensive here starting around €30 and going up to nearly €100. I need to explore them more; Agathe Bursin's is available locally for around €30. They could well be better value than equivalently priced Burgs.

Ice Bucket on a sunny patio? IMO, the richer Burgs are best slightly cooler than equivalent quality Bordeaux. The probably lighter Alsatian versions, like Beaujolais, probably best a bit cooler still, e.g. c. 14°C ( 57°F). The sunny patio is a problem for all wines, which are likely to get unpalatably warm without some cooling. However, prolonged presence in an ice bucket scalps the aromas and flavours of any good wine (red, white or pink). In these warm conditions I take the bottle in an out of whatever cooling device is at hand to keep it as close as possible to the temperature at which the wine shows best.

I recall once asking for an ice bucket for a local red during a heat wave in a St.Julien (Médoc) restaurant, where the ambient temperature was about 30°C and where they should have known better than to serve it like that. Also in some UK restaurants and pubs who store their reds in the kitchen!

...However, prolonged presence in an ice bucket scalps the aromas and flavours of any good wine (red, white or pink).

Well there was a lot wrong with that advertising copy, including the part about the wines being "...born in ancient foudres deep in a cold, dark cellar" which makes absolutely no sense for an agricultural product born in the vineyards.

But, nitpicking aside, they are trying to sell emotion. And I imagine climate change (and rising Burgundy prices) has been kind to Alsatian pinot noir, although not sure if they have needed to rethink clones and winemaking practices, as they have done in Germany.

Despite all that, I've never found any of the pinot noir grown outside of Burgundy to be a rival/replacement for Burgundy. I love the various iterations, but they are more likely to compete with Beaujolais in my drinking/purchasing habits, with similar structure/complexity/price.

I've had PN in Alsace, and the Wine Society currently list 10 Alsace PNs.

I think red wine is generally served too warm. In the few hot days we have I put reds in the fridge door a while before opening.

Re PN grown elsewhere not being a 'rival/replacement for Burgundy', hoorah I say. I prefer a Central Otago, SA Hemel-in-Aarde, or NZ PN over a a wimpy compost-stinky Burgundy

[Jenise]

...However, prolonged presence in an ice bucket scalps the aromas and flavours of any good wine (red, white or pink).

But, nitpicking aside, they are trying to sell emotion.

And summer.

I actually quite like some of the cool climate pinots I've had, including a number of recent Alpine candidates. Have a great Swiss one ready to go right now that John S. brought to one of Bill's lunches awhile back.

I tasted some rotburgunders (pinot noir) in Alsace some years ago and was unimpressed. Now obviously the number of degree days has increased since then so there is no reason that they won't be able to make pinots, albeit perhaps still in a lighter style than Burgundy, but I'd sure want to taste before I'd buy - the prices are likely to be fairly high, if not as astronomically so as many Burgs are.

[Jenise]

Bill, just checked my favorite local wine shop. They have one, a '22 Marcel Deiss for $40. No opinion about that but nothing's in this small shop that the owner, whose palate I'm well-calibrated with, doesn't like.

I think recently great strides have been made with Spatburgunder in Germany, but the better ones are quite pricey.
I've never had an Alsace PN that really impressed, but it's been a while and maybe they have made progress as well.
Is using "rotburgunder" common in Alsace? I've never heard. Seems like could lead to confusion with Rotburger (Zweigelt).
As to reds in ice buckets, sure for a few minutes if necessary in summer, but definitely not staying in the ice water. Cool is ok, cold is not.

Is using "rotburgunder" common in Alsace? I've never heard. Seems like could lead to confusion with Rotburger (Zweigelt).

I've never heard of an Alsatian PN being referred to as "rotburgunder". It may exist somewhere but most Alsatians feel very French and would not need to use another name than "pinot noir" for the Burgundian grape. Most of the other grapes used in Alsace are little found elsewhere in France and do not have an alternative French name. AFAIK in Germany itself the grape is known as "spätburgunder".

In eleven years of CT archives, I have three TNs of Alsace Pinot Noir. I "liked" two of them from Dirler-Cadé and Barmès-Buecher but was far from overwhelmed.

I think recently great strides have been made with Spatburgunder in Germany, but the better ones are quite pricey...

I might modify that to say that [some of] the trendy ones are quite pricey. Still plenty of good value, Holger Koch is a particular sane favorite on that front, natural wine but not in the glou-glou simple style.

I think prices are rising across the board in Germany, which many argue is necessary to keep the wineries sustainable as for some long they were underpriced. But whether that rise gets too aggressive for certain wineries, or leaves the wines being competitive/desirable is a different story...

[David M. Bueker]

Just looked at eleven websites of Alsatian Pinot producers, and they all say Pinot Noir. Maybe Bill was attempting some form of odd humor.

Is using "rotburgunder" common in Alsace? I've never heard. Seems like could lead to confusion with Rotburger (Zweigelt)..

My error - should have checked before misusing the term - was just going from distant memory of rotburgunders (zweigelts) past.