This was my first sylvaner, which was part of an Alsace/Burgundy tasting last night, the second of a three-part seminar on the major wine regions of France by Laurent Guinond of GiraMondo Assoc.
Anyway, this was one of the weirdest grapes I've tasted, and I can't claim to have been a big fan. The nose was kerosene, magic marker, nail polish remover...descriptions flew around the table, but everyone agreed that the aroma was not something that would necessarily whet the appetite for tasting. Laurent offered up pine resin as something a bit kinder, and I guess I could see that, but it still smelled like a Sharpie to me (although to be honest...I always sniff my Sharpie at work before using it...I like the smell, just not in my wine!).
The palate had a bit of a bite and was defintely better than the smell, with some citrus and a surprisingly long finish, but at $17.99, even the one or two in the room who enjoyed it's properties said they probably wouldn't buy it.