Wine Focus for March: The wines of Alsace

[Robin Garr]

Alsace, the quaint, scenic and too-often war-torn region where France meets Germany along the Rhine River, is the topic for our Wine Focus for March. Alsace is probably best known for its Rieslings, but Gewürztraminer is also iconic, and Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir also turn up in forms that often show a characteristic Alsatian accent.

Look for Alsace in your local wine shop. It probably won't be the most prominent shelf, but you should be able to find some. But if you're in a part of the world where Alsace just can't be found, feel free to participate using Alsace varieties made, if you can find them, in an Alsatian style.

...probably best known for its Rieslings, but Gewürztraminer is also iconic, and Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir also turn up in forms that often show a characteristic Alsatian accent.

Don't forget the Eau de Vie! In some shops that is the main Alsatian representation!

...probably best known for its Rieslings, but Gewürztraminer is also iconic, and Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir also turn up in forms that often show a characteristic Alsatian accent.

Don't forget the Eau de Vie! In some shops that is the main Alsatian representation!

Absolutely. Just had a snifter of delicious Poire Williams from Nusbaumer.

[Robin Garr]

Don't forget the Eau de Vie! In some shops that is the main Alsatian representation!

Bring it on!

Beautiful photo! What church is that?
I opened one of my few Alsace wines last month--love that Biecher Schaal Riesling Rosacker Grand Cru.

...feel free to participate using Alsace varieties made, if you can find them, in an Alsatian style...

This is an "Alsatian" variety and I'm not sure I would really call it an Alsatian style. But it's dry, and it's what I have, so...

The 2013 Juliusspital Würzburger Stein Riesling Trocken is not a complex wine but could still be considered perfect, under certain conditions. For me, it is a perfect aperitif wine, fresh fragrant and lively, with just enough fine and delicate riesling detail and perfume to lift the spirits. Perfect for relaxing at the end of the week, or at the end of the day. Or perfect for a casual meal where wine is not the focus.

That said, this is not a mild quaffer. There is a backbone and there is wine in the glass. And at 13.5%, don't drink too fast!

Nice.

Was it the green odd shaped bottle Rahsaan?

Yes, this is Franken wine, Bocksbeutel and all.

And the vineyard is notable for claims to being the oldest named vineyard site in Germany.

Franken hard to find here Rahsaan. Thought you might be interested in this>.

http://www.skurnik.com/j-adam-delicate- ... -classics/

I found this at a caviste in Orbec, a small pretty market town, about 25km from here. The producer Pierre Koch was previously unknown to me but, for €10, I thought this wine worth a whirl. There was also a GC '09 at a slightly higher price; I'll try that one day.

I don't think that I would recommend this wine to Jenise. I can find better dry Riesling to convert her.

2012 Pierre Koch Riesling lieu-dit Zellberg - France, Alsace (3/5/2016)
Lively genuinely dry tasting Riesling with something about its aromas which just prevents me from putting it into my "like" category. On the nose the nose there was white fruit, a lot of spice, especially nutmeg, and a hint of antiseptic ointment. The palate was medium bodied showing plenty of fruit, minerals and moreish acidity with good backbone and considerable aromatic overlay with the antiseptic element less evident. Will this recede with time? The only indicator is that I can no longer detect it on the empty bottle this morning where the aromas are overwhelmingly spicy.
Posted from CellarTracker

Bestheim, Alsace Grand Cru, Schlossberg, Riesling, 2012

I'm not a big Alsace fan and my cellar rarely holds more than a couple of bottles at a time. But I dabble in it every now and then. I usually aim at second tier stars, who provide expressiveness and individuality without the price associated with cult status. Or honest craftsmen that provide typicity at good prices. Ah, Alsatian typicity: I can take it in small quantities, I don't always enjoy the bitter quinine finish of the Rieslings or Pinots, nor the lush, exotic come-on of Gewurztraminer. Not on a regular basis. But this, despite the Grand Cru origins, expresses another Alsatian trait, food friendly spiciness, with such unpretentious ease that it wins me over.

[Robin Garr]

I hate to be a whiner, but I was appalled at the lack of Alsace selection I found at a wine shop near me that's usually the place I go because of its broad selection. They had exactly two Alsatian wines in the entire store, and one of them was a Riesling selling for $49.95 apparently because it was pointy, bragging a 94 from one or another of the points people.

The other was Trimbach Pinot Blanc, which I brought home and liked pretty much, but it was certainly not under-priced at $18.99.

I'm coming up against this kind of thing more and more, and it's truly disheartening. Lots of big producers, less and less for the AFWE, and prices in general rising to the point where I can't justify spending for everyday wine. Even splitting a bottle over two nights still feels extravagant. What the hell happened? This mid-size metro used to have good-to-great wine selection, but not any more. <sob>

[David M. Bueker]

Alsace dried up in US markets about 5-7 years ago. There are a few importers/merchants trying to bring it back, but for now it is a bit of a wasteland.

I have been able to buy Dirler-Cade and Bott-Geyl through Robert Panzer's Down to Earth Wines, but beyond that it's either Trimbach (which I love) or wildly overpriced Boxler (which I also love but hate what Kermit Lynch has done to the pricing).

...or wildly overpriced Boxler (which I also love but hate what Kermit Lynch has done to the pricing).

I was a regular chez Boxler until about 2011 and then, there also, prices have increased more and more and, above all, it was impossible to buy GCs or everything from Sommerberg or Brand, regularly sold out.

Beautiful photo! What church is that?

The village is Hunawihr, with its 16th century Church of St Jacques le Majeur, surrounded by a fortified cemetery.
The vineyard under the wall is part of Trimbach's Clos Ste Hune.
The vineyard in the background is the huge Rosacker Grand Cru.

The 2011 JJ Christoffel Urziger Wurzgarten Spatlese Trocken Alte Reben is another non-Alsatian riesling that makes me think of Alsace. And in this case the comparison is pretty close because it is such an austere bare steel rod of a wine. Severe, firm, rigid, poised, with a dancing acidic tingle to give it intensity. But so spare.

That said, I do not want to imply that this is a non-wine wine. There is something there. I am just not sure what it is. If I close my eyes and get fanciful, I can almost conjure the fruit berry salad we know from off-dry UW. And a couple of days of air helps in that regard. Although still, it remains austere and bare.

Interesting and not bad. Certainly fine at the dinner table for a glass or two. But almost completely identical to a bottle from summer 2013. I have no idea what the future holds, but I have no more and will probably never find out.

Rahsaan, guess i will open a couple of bottles in the future to let you know whats shakin`.

Rahsaan, guess i will open a couple of bottles in the future to let you know whats shakin`.

So you actually have that wine? It's not something I see around much.

No..some JJ wines from other vintages. Quite expensive here but highly collectable.

Alsace makes excellent Eau de Vie, but steer well clear of Alsatian marc de gewurztraminer. I had a glass of that in France after a wonderful meal of choucroute garni. It gave me one of the worst hangovers I've ever experienced. But it's probably useful for removing furniture polish, or as paint thinner.

-Paul W.

Eau-de-Vie de Poire Williams sélection 43% Réserve particulière - J.Nusbaumer

I mentioned this bottle above when I had first opened it. Since then I have been unable to keep my hands off it. Beautiful fragrant aromatics of, unsurprisingly, fine pear which fill first the nose and then the palate together with touches of spice, firm backbone and good length. I like this more than any raw pear in my plate, where I find that sometimes fine flavours are diminished by the matt, often grainy, texture. This is the essence of pear without that drawback. Excellent.

These colourless fruit brandies are a speciality of Alsace and of neighbouring regions in Germany (Black Forest) and Switzerland. Interestingly, in spite of the frontiers the people of all three regions can understand each other in a Germanic dialect. I serve these colourless brandies at fridge temperature which enhances and adds finesse to the aromas and prevents the alcohol being obtrusive. There is a body of opinion, with which I disagree, claiming that Poire should be an exception to this treatment.

I serve these colourless brandies at fridge temperature which enhances and adds finesse to the aromas and prevents the alcohol being obtrusive. There is a body of opinion, with which I disagree, claiming that Poire should be an exception to this treatment.

Interesting. I suppose I can see the logic of taming the alcohol, although going all the way down to refrigerator temperature seems like it would also wipe out the delicate fruity aromas.

I pretty much only drink these eau de vies at relatives houses in Europe, where they are stored room temperature and where room temperature for the alcohols is fairly cool, which works well for me. (Room temperature in a stuffy Manhattan apartment would be another story)

Rahsaan, I don't think that behind the door in my fridge is cold by Manhattan standards; about 9°C I guess. Perhaps a bit too cold for, say, white Burgundy but I find it works well with these eaux de vie blanches, which probably gain a degree or two on being poured. In the old days waiters used to cool the balloon glasses with ice cubes before serving them; I don't know if this practice persists because I now never order spirits in restaurants as I have to drive home afterwards.

[Robin Garr]

Trimbach 2013 Alsace Pinot Blanc ($18.99)

This is a clear, straw color wine, showing just a touch of a greenish hue. Fresh, simple and appealing white fruit aromas offer gentle suggestions of pear and apple plus a distinct hint of musky melon. Flavors follow the nose with medium-bodied texture. It's fresh and bright, 12.5% alcohol; fruit balanced by cleansing acidity, adding an intriguing sense of subtle minerality in a long finish. U.S. importer: Esprit du Vin, Boca Raton, Fla. (March 4, 2016)

FOOD MATCH: The back label rather generally suggests, "Perfect with seafood, salads, fish, any light meal or on its own." We enjoyed it one night with an asparagus risotto, and the following evening with a chopped spinach and Parmigiano sauce over farfalle pasta.

WHEN TO DRINK: It's not intended as a long-term keeper, but the producer suggests a shelf life of at least five years after the vintage, and its good balance - plus the sturdy, modern metal screw cap - offer no reason to doubt this.

VALUE: My local price is disappointingly high, a full $5 above the $14 U.S. retail reported by Wine-Searcher.com. It's a good wine, but I can't really recommend it for value in the upper teens. If you want it, shop around, and buy online if you can't find a better local price.

WEB LINK
A QR code on the back label directs you to the winery website, where you can work your way down to this English-language page featuring the Trimbach portfolio. Page down from there to find details on the Pinot Blanc.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Trimbach Alsace Pinot Blanc on Wine-Searcher.com.

For an international list of Trimbach's importers, check this page on the Trimbach website.