Browse Tag

alsace

CPE

Trimbach 2006 Pinot Blanc (Alsace) – Fuzzy and maturing, which is a good thing here; the primary apricot zing has coppered and rounded. Matters fall off on the finish, though. It’s still a light, small wine, but it’s more interesting than it was. Drink up. (5/10)

Angrier than a Rosacker of cats

Mallo 2002 Riesling Rosacker (Alsace) – Salted rocks, banana leaves, and aggressive minerality pushed to the side by over-softening, wimpy residual sugar. The salinity is strident, and there are darker, smokier elements within, but why must such nice raw materials be rendered so spineless? This is at worst a very good, and at best an unparalleled, terroir. Mallo’s house style is soft and sweet, to be sure, but it serves this wine – which could have been great, but instead is merely good – very, very poorly. (5/10)

Lower than the Massenbflat

Massenez Eau de Vie Poire William (Alsace) – Pear and sweat, with the sweet-salty character that seems to mark this particular fruit and genre, at least from Alsace. Quite good, with an added lift of sophistication. (4/10)

Trademarked sausage

Rolly Gassmann 2003 Pinot Gris Brandhurst de Bergheim “Sélection des Grains Nobles” (Alsace) – Sticky and extremely sweet. Sugared apples and some interesting vegetal notes. I tasted this at release and didn’t think it had a long future, and I think that was the right call both then and now. In fact, I’m a little surprised how fast it has fallen off. (3/10)

Steve & Eydie

Faller “Domaine Weinbach” 2000 Gewurztraminer “Cuvée Laurence” (Alsace) – Fat lychee and flower garden. Very lush. This could use a lot more acidity, in my opinion, though this feeling is not shared by others tasting the wine. It’s good, but this house can (and usually does) do better with this grape. (3/10)

Fréd’s not dead

Trimbach 1997 Riesling “Cuvée Frédéric Émile” (Alsace) – Opened after a short run of other producers’ ‘97s raised some cause for concern. Well, there’s nothing to worry about here. It’s rich, and already into its creamy, mature stage, with soft minerality blown through a dusty wind tunnel. A little shy at first, it expands and gains firmness as it aerates. Not a touch of oxidation, and really good. If you own this in quantity, it’s time to start drinking, but if you don’t there’s certainly no hurry. (3/10)

Rolly polly

Rolly Gassmann 1998 Gewurztraminer Stegreben de Rorschwihr “Vendanges Tardives” (Alsace) – Not all that sweet, actually. Leaves, dark skins, and structural acidity dominate. Perhaps a bit of weediness? A pleasant kind, if so. Juicy and rather beautiful, though I think it needs drinking. (3/10)

Wade Boxler

Boxler 2005 Gewurztraminer (Alsace) – Rich, ripe, but not heavy, leaning more strongly on peaches than lychees, with layers of crystalline spice underneath. Just structured enough, though it’s on the thick side of the norm for this wine. (NB: This is the Chadderdon bottling, carrying no label code…though I don’t think there’s a differentiator for the gewurztraminer even on the French side of things.) (3/10)

Murlé bad

Frick 2005 Gewurztraminer Rot-Murlé (Alsace) – An intriguing combination of the deadening weight of an overripe gewurztraminer and the weedy, fetid swamp aroma of an underripe one. That’s an accomplishment. (3/10)