Just over one year ago, more belated tasting notes. With Ambrus, a new friend from Hungary, whom I met there for the first time. Actually drove there and back all on the same day!
Morning appointment chez Schoffit in Colmar:
Schoffit Chasselas Vieilles Vignes 2004
From 70-years-old vines and a yield of 50-55 hl/ha. Strawy-earthy herbs, even lightly floral, well-concentrated, nice medium-dark minerals, good length. Rating: 87
Schoffit Riesling Tradition Harth 2004
6 g/l residual sugar. A bit appley, Saar-like, stone dust. Medium weight, concentration and length. A bit simple. Rating: 84
Schoffit Riesling Tradition Cuvée Caroline Harth 2000
Not too weighty, just lightly sweet, with a faint pink grapefruit bitter note, good body, with age this should taste “harmoniously dry” like certain German wines. A bit hollow but nicely round and mouth-filling. Rating: ~85
Schoffit Riesling Sommerberg 2003
Granite soil. Tiny smoke note to lovely green pepper flavoured minerality. Evenly ripe and not wholly devoid of malic acid in this vintage, there is just some exotism to this. Firm, minerally, quite but not too long. Rating: ~88?
Schoffit Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos St. Théobald 2003
12 g/l residual sugar. Concentrated, exotic, round, the acids are all right but not too lively, an unusual wine. Good medium-plus body, and yet, the concentration of alcohol and sugar makes this taste “sweeter” than it is. Medium length. The 1997 Rangen TPG, from a not too dissimilar vintage, which we drank with lunch, was less exotic, smoother, subjectively more botrytised, with livelier and more high-toned fruit at release, the “better” wine, thus my recommendation is to drink a similarly-styled wine from a yet more precocious vintage young, be it Riesling or not. Rating: 88
Schoffit Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos St. Théobald 2005
8 g/l residual sugar, 7.5 g/l acidity. Some CO2 and sulphur, a much more subtle and longer wine than the 2003. A certain smokiness, dark stone dust, just a tiny bitter note. Rating: 89(+?)
Schoffit Tokay Pinot Gris Cuvée Alexandre 2004
Good body, medium-dark sultana and bitter orange fruit, as in marmalade. Medium length, but strong, although not subtle or finesseful aftertaste. Rating: 85+?
Schoffit Tokay Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos St. Théobald 2004
Over 20 g/l residual sugar. Subjectively fatter and sweeter than the sugar content suggests, a rich, almost VT-like TPG. Sound alcohol, but integrates well. Good length. Rating: 88
Schoffit Tokay Pinot Gris Vendanges Tardives Rangen de Thann Clos St. Théobald 2001
13% alcohol, 110 g/l residual sugar, 9 g/l acidity. Fat and viscous, but fresh and harmonious. This has depth, life, length. And very clean 85% botrytis. Most impressive, because it is ripe enough, round enough and fresh enough, nothing is out of proportion. Fine little lemon zest note. Rating: 93+/94(+?)
Schoffit Tokay Pinot Gris Sélection de Grains Nobles Rangen de Thann Clos St. Théobald 1999
A vintage that Bernard Schoffit said was “difficult, humid, with too little acidity”. From a one week open bottle. 135 g/l residual sugar, 12 g/l acidity (which is not so little at all). Less pure, more gluey, maybe with a faint medicinality. Some basil heaviness, but still a TPG SGN to drink young, which is rare enough. Some balm mint and lemon flavours are the best part about this. Rating: 87+/~88
Schoffit Gewürztraminer Rangen de Thann Clos St. Théobald 2003
11% alcohol, 60 g/l residual sugar, 7.5 g/l acidity. Unusual, subjectively low-acid wine that nevertheless showed mostly typical aromas and flavours: grapefruit, lychee, a touch of tangerine and a little macerated rose petal. Medium-plus length. Rating: ~88?
Schoffit Gewürztraminer Vendanges Tardives Rangen de Thann Clos St. Théobald 2001
85 g/l residual sugar. Candied lychee nose, stronger rose petal on the palate. Much less thick and sweet than the TPG, but similar in terms of purity and cleanliness. Sound alcohol, though not too high. Long finish. Rating: 90
Schoffit Tokay Pinot Gris Sélection de Grains Nobles “Larme de Lave” Rangen de Thann Clos St. Théobald 2001
Schoffit’s “Tear of Lava” was made from 100% botrytis grapes picked on the 18th of October, and would technically (just!) qualify as Tokaji Eszencia: 450 g/l residual sugar, 12 g/l (actually Bernard said 15 at the time) acidity and 4.2% alcohol. 650 litres made. Darker golden colour. Dried fruits, a bit Eszencia-like in viscosity, honeyed and a bit oxidized (although Bernard says this is to the bottle having been opened eight days before). Like a solid in the mouth almost, but still light enough on its feet. Not quite up to the best in Tokaj Eszencia, but more importantly, really a young, sticky TPG to lay away for children born in 2001. Rating: 94+
Schoffit Tokay Pinot Gris Vendanges Tardives Rangen de Thann Clos St. Théobald 2002
13% alcohol, 102 g/l residual sugar, 8.5% acidity. Similar residual sweetness but higher acidity than the 2001, Bernard said, but in reality, the 2002’s more high-acid character is subjective. Amazing, finesseful and precise, minerally nose. Less baby fat on the palate, a Vouvray-like sweatiness, bright and mouth-cleansing. The kind of wine that may never taste better than in its brilliant, crystalline youth. All about precision, finesse and terroir expression, aspects Ambrus prizes above all others. Bernard let us choose a bottle to take with us to lunch – guess which we picked? Rating: 94-/93?
Schoffit Tokay Pinot Gris Sélection de Grains Nobles Rangen de Thann Clos St. Théobald 2002
From a lower parcel, closer to the river. 11.6% alcohol, 250 g/l residual sugar, 11% acidity. Superb acidity, ripe and flavourful. Honeyed, precise, dark minerality, quite clean, has cut. It is possible that the (here not necessarily 100%) brown bread botrytis was a bit less “noble” than in 2001, hard tell in such a young wine. Rating: 92+/93(+?)
With lunch:
Schoffit Tokay Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos St. Théobald 1997
60 g/l residual sugar, 9 g/l acidity. A bit cheesy on both the nose and the palate, but not too nutty at all (an aspect I do not particularly like in some mature TPG). A low acid wine, at least subjectively, round and smooth, but no longer as subjectively sweet or VT-like as it used to be. Soft quince almost as of a Tokaj. “Round, not lean” was what Ambrus found most characteristic. This used to be (much) better (about outstanding) in its youthful fruit phase, but then, I cannot say I am surprised. Rating: 88-
Verget Chablis Vaillons 1996
One of the slowest to evolve Chablis I have ever tasted, bought, owned and re-tasted on a regular basis. Even the (admittedly much fruitier, but also a bit oaky, if I remember correctly) Bougros Grand Cru from the same producer and vintage is a less stubborn wine. Still a quite limey-powerful, bone-dry and intense 1er Cru, finally open enough, spicy, less strawy and herbal than it used to be. Faint “golden”, that is, softly caramelised nuts. The very firm, once huge acidity is much better integrated now that the faintly oily fruit is gaining the upper hand. Very long on the finish. As well as it was showing, I was nonetheless surprised Ambrus liked it so much – after all, there are people who dislike all Verget wines. But then, he is more used to such minerally-intense wines than oaky fruit bomb-styled Chardonnay. Rating: 94+?
Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste-Hune 1990
A super bottle, deep, with huge bouillabaisse-like minerality, but no longer as overwhelmingly salty as at release. What a combination of complexity, intensity and finesse! A palate-staining, virtual abyss of depth, but still youthful. It is only my knowledge of e.g. the 1971 that keeps me from opening more bottles than one per year (or less, given this has been evolving at a snail’s pace since release). Learnt only recently that the 1990 is not just over 14%, but that it contains 14.8% alcohol! That amply explains the slight warmth it displayed in its youth (needless to emphasize, the only aspect I used to not like about this wine). No longer, the overall integration is already near-perfect. I am not sure any Clos Ste-Hune since the 1990 is quite on the same level, but then, none (except the 1983 and the 1971) have been so tough and demanded so much patience. Rating: 97+/98(+?)
Trimbach Riesling Vendanges Tardives Hors Choix Clos Ste-Hune 1989
Ordered from a restaurant wine list with lunch, in all likelihood too warmly stored. Darker coloured than usually, minerally and CSH-terroir-typical enough on the nose, but the fruit freshness was in great part gone. I found the chef and restaurant owner’s description of it as similar to a 1976 Hugel SGN rather revealing, in both the positive and negative sense. I was in no mood to start a discussion about the lesser performance of a wine that was rather delicious even in this condition (I might get seriously worked up thinking too hard about one of the few true modern-day legends being misstored). Perhaps such a heavily botrytised version of Clos Ste-Hune needs yet more perfect storage (all great wine does, of course)? What a shame! Every pristine bottle I have tasted ranged from near-perfection to perfection. Rating: N/R
Afternoon appointment chez Trimbach in Ribeauvillé:
Trimbach Riesling Réserve 2003
Stone-dusty, some spice and lime fruit. Rating: 86+?
Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Émile 2003
Chez Trimbach. From a yield of 50 hl/ha. 2 g/l residual sugar. Ripe lime and apple, softly exotic in this vintage, heavy herbs, but impressively minerally. Note this was lightly acidified in this vintage. Rating: 88+?
Trimbach Riesling Vendanges Tardives Cuvée Frédéric Émile 1998
27 g/l residual sugar. Beautiful fruit with a tiny bitter note, lovely subtle botrytis (some of which is also noticeable in the standard 1998 CFE), which makes this creamier and thicker on the palate than the 2000 CFE VT, although it is just barely sweeter. I love both these recent VTs and recommend them highly, but to say they are better than the 1983, 1989 and 1990 versions as some have suggested would take things too far. What they are is higher in residual sugar, no matter, both will provide great food matches. But it is the 1998 that is already so delicious to drink now (admittedly due to the more botrytis-induced fruit character and that whiff more residual sweetness). Note my rating for either may turn out to be stingy. Rating: 91+/92(+?)
Trimbach Riesling Vendanges Tardives Cuvée Frédéric Émile 2000
20 g/l residual sugar. Love this wine, more focused than the 1998 version (which in turn is drinking better, certainly more smoothly, at this early stage), a very well-balanced and well-made wine indeed, on which I need not type yet another TN. In direct comparison, the 2000 seems to surpass the 1998 in purity, but that seemed neither easy to tell, nor should it be of much concern if the 1998 is drunk young. Having said that, both may/should evolve beautifully with bottle age. Rating: 92+?
Trimbach Pinot Gris Hommage à Jeanne 2000
25 g/l dry extract, 19 g/l residual sugar, 15% alcohol. Seemingly firmer than last time, less VT-like, with the acidity more pronounced, thus probably a bit shut down already, but perhaps a bit longer, too. Rating: 89+/~90?
Trimbach Gewürztraminer Cuvée Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre 2000
18 g/l residual sugar. Rose petal, very typical GT especially on the nose, quite intense on the palate, too. Had the 1998 not too long ago and found it a positive surprise, the 2000 should surpass it in time. Although a favourite among the “classic” Alsatian Gewürztraminer bottlings, for this variety, I have come to prefer the more floral, tropically fruited and light-on-their-feet Weinbach interpretations. Rating: 89+/90+?
Trimbach Gewürztraminer Vendanges Tardives 2000
13.3% alcohol, 57 g/l residual sugar. More golden colour. More intensity on the palate, not necessarily more floral on the nose than the Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre, though. Nice structure, some (pretty) minerality, light bitter note, good body, medium-plus length. Really seemed partly shut down, thus was not easy to assess. Rating: 89+?
Greetings from Switzerland, David.