Archive: France: Alsace: White & Sparkling

Albert Boxler 2005 Pinot Gris Alsace Vieilles Vignes ($33). With gorgeous, lush apricot and peach aromas and flavors laced with mineral and tangerine, and mouthwatering acidity that lingered through the long finish, we savored every sip. Ready to drink now and over the next two or three years. We paired it with a romaine salad topped with smoky bacon, blue cheese and a sunny side up egg — kind of a variation on the frisee, lardons, poached egg classic — with delicious results. (Picks & Nibbles 01/08)

Albert Mann

 2006 Gewurztraminer Alsace ($19). Silky smooth and mouthcoating, with perfumed apricot, stonefruit, freshly grated nutmeg and floral notes. Nice value. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2009-04-22) 

2001 Gewurztraminer Alsace ($21). Apricot and peach fruit mingle with ground ginger, spice and honey for powerful, rich, depth of flavor. An appealing mineral note emerges on the finish. Intense and very good. Ready to drink now. (Weekend Wine, 01/03)

Bott-Geyl 1996 Riesling Alsace Grand Cru Mandelbourg ($27). This may be my favorite wine from this article. It is elegant and crisp, with tastes of fresh apricot, green apple, and lime. Absolutely dry with good structure and a solid finish. Excellent now, and will age nicely for the next four or five years. (Skinny Guide to French Wine — The Wines of Alsace)

Chateau d’Orschwihr 2000 Gewurztraminer Alsace Bollenberg ($20). Flamboyant, with ripe apricot, litchi, orange peel and spice. Lush finish with just a touch of honeyed sweetness. Lively acidity adds balance. Good with food. Ready to drink now. (Weekend Wine, 01/03)

Domaine Barmes-Buecher 2006 Brut Cremant d’Alsace ($20). Very nice indeed. With creamy pear and soft citrus aromas and flavors supported by appealing yeast and honey notes. Made from biodynamically-grown Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc. Great value. Ready to drink now. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2008-11-02)

Domaine Ehrhart 2006 Pinot Gris Alsace Im Berg ($18). How nice is this? With aromatic layers of wildflower, fig and spice accenting white peach and apricot fruit. Stays focused through the long finish. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2009-04-22)

Domaine Rieflé 1997 Tokay Pinot Gris Côtes de Rouffach ($20). A medium-bodied version of an Alsace Pinot Gris, but typical in all other ways. Low acidity, soft orchard fruits, buttery, floral bouquet. Ready now. (Skinny Guide to French Wine — The Wines of Alsace)

Helfrich 2007 Riesling Alsace ($13). Incredible value here, with lovely honeysuckle accents to bright nectarine fruit, picking up mineral and citrus through the creamy finish. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2009-04-22)

Leon Beyer 2005 Gewürztraminer Alsace ($18). Racy citrus and nectarine pick up candied citrus peel and marzipan through the full finish. Ready to drink now. (Robyn’s Picks 04/08) Locate this wine online or in your area.

Lucien Albrecht

NV Brut Rose Cremant d’Alsace ($23). Easy to like for its fresh red berry character and touches of cream, hazelnut and apricot skin on the finish. Full-bodied enough to stand up to substantial food pairings. Ready to drink now. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2009-12-28)

NV Brut Blanc de Blancs Cremant d’Alsace ($19). Very nice for the price, with crisp Granny Smith apple and a creamy lemon mousse character. Fresh, food friendly, easy to like. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2008-12-04)

NV Brut Rose Cremant d’Alsace ($23). Moderate red cherry and berry fruit offers some crisp, tart character, with a light spiciness on the finish. Versatile with food. Ready to drink now. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2008-12-04)

2008 Pinot Gris Alsace Cuvee Romanus ($20). Delicate apple blossom aromas introduce silky, intense apricot, apple and peach flavors, with juicy acidity and light mineral notes on the fresh, smooth finish. A lovely wine at a good price. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2009-11-23)

2006 Gewurztraminer Alsace Reserve ($19). Gewurztraminer is a love-it-or-hate-it wine, I think, and I happen to love it. And this is a good example of why I love it. With pretty marmalade, rose petal, honeycomb and spice notes that fold together on a long, rich finish. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2008-12-04)

2006 Pinot Gris Alsace Cuvee Romanus ($19). Rich and silky, with ripe peach and tropical melon aromas and flavors that evolve into a marmalade character on the juicy finish. Ready to drink now. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2008-12-04)

2006 Riesling Alsace Reserve ($18). Versatile for its everyday appeal, even to non-Riesling drinkers. With juicy green apple accented by moderate citrus and floral notes that mingle on a fresh, lightly mineral finish. Ready to drink now. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2008-10-30)

Meyer-Fonne

1998 Gewürztraminer Reserve Particuliere ($17). Luscious nectarine, apricot, florals, and spice combine to make yet another winning wine from Meyer-Fonne, one of Alsace’s best. Just off-dry and ready now to quench a summer thirst. (Skinny Guide to French Wine — The Wines of Alsace) Locate this wine online or in your area.

1998 Riesling Alsace Grand Cru Wineck-Schlossberg ($23). Medium-bodied, dry, with citrus, apple, and mineral notes. This wine has a lingering finish that is excellent. Very good now, and should age for at least another three years. (Skinny Guide to French Wine — The Wines of Alsace) Locate this wine online or in your area.

1998 Riesling Vignoble de Katzenthal ($15). Bone dry with green apple, mineral, and citrus flavors. Can you say refreshing? Ready now. (Skinny Guide to French Wine — The Wines of Alsace) Locate this wine online or in your area.

1997 Gewürztraminer Dorfburg Vieilles Vignes Selection de Grains Nobles ($45, 500 ml). Wow. Honeyed peaches, racy lime, florals, minerals, all good, all good! (Skinny Guide to French Wine — The Wines of Alsace)

Martin Schaetzel 1998 Muscat Alsace Cuvee Reserve ($14). Dry and crisp, with floral and spicy notes gracing a clean citrusy core. Ready now. (Skinny Guide to French Wine — The Wines of Alsace)

Paul Blanck 2005 Pinot Blanc Alsace ($12). Bone dry, with crisp apple and green pear and lemon zest notes. Clean finish. Ready to drink now. (Robyn’s Picks 04/08) Locate this wine online or in your area.

Trimbach

 

2001 Riesling Alsace ($19). A reliable, widely-distributed choice, with refreshing citrus and pear fruit, light white pepper and mineral accents, and a moderate, focused finish. Ready to drink now and over the next couple of years. (Robyn’s Picks, 04/04)

2000 Gewurztraminer Alsace ($17). Spectacular acidity supports focused peach, rose, honey and dried apricot notes in this delicious wine. Excellent value. Ready to drink now. (Weekend Wine, 01/03)

Zind Humbrecht 2004 Riesling Alsace Turckheim ($40). Mouthwatering aromas and flavors include concentrated apricot, apple and pretty nectarine fruit, with aromatic honeysuckle and a flinty mineral note lingering on the long, bright finish. Delicious now and over the next five or six years. Locate this wine online or in your area. (2008-11-21)