   Mixing
Up Varietals was such an exciting and enlightening
exercise, we did it again; only this time we mixed up
white varietals from France. Since Alsace allows a range
of whites that all stay within a fruity-fragrant vein, we
thought this could be very interesting. The assortment
turned out to be a fairly well balanced representation of
the appellation: one proprietary blend, one Sylvaner, two
each of Riesling and three each of Gewürztraminer
and Pinot Blanc. Roy prepared a matched menu of braised
sausages, cabbage, onions, and apples.
Brand
Varietal /
"Type"
Vintage, Appellation,
Vineyard
TASTING
NOTES:
Color; aroma; flavor; body;
balance; finish. Alcohol. Varietal
composition
(if known). Summary. ($
paid)
|
Wines are considered
Equal Quality
Within Categories of Recommendation
(Listed
Alphabetically by Brand)
consensus
terms appear in bold
(possible flaws? are in brackets)
* indicates a second or third party
WEBSITE
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HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED
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 Hugel
Gewürztraminer
2000, Alsace
Brilliant,
very pale straw color; big, sweet, bubblegum,
candy, ripe, fruity, peach, pear,
banana, floral, violets, rose petal,
spice, pine, juniper and mineral aromas;
barely sweet, ripe, fresh fruit,
"fruit bomb", white peach, pear,
apple, citrus and slightly mineral flavors;
rich body; very nice sugar-acid
balance; faintly bitter, green
notes in long finish. 13% alcohol.
This wine has a gloriously floral nose, more
like a bouquet than a glass of wine, although
the flavors are packed with fruit; the clear
winner of the flight. Drinks well on its own
and was excellent with Roy's "Krautwurst".
($16) WEBSITE
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RECOMMENDED
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 Dopff
& Irion
"Crustacés"
2000, Alsace
Clear,
very pale straw color; light,
clean, attractive, fresh, floral,
vanilla, fruity, pear, citrus, lemon and
vinous aromas; light, delicate,
clean, pleasant, barely dry,
faintly unripe, citrus, grapefruit,
mineral flavors; light body;
good balance, tart, crisp;
slightly astringent, sharp (metallic?),
but quick finish, fades fast. 11.5%
alcohol. Predominantly Sylvaner in blend,
presumably from clues on website. Very nice
quaffer that "lacks length and dimension", but
is unlikely to offend any drinker or interfere
with any cuisine; and, at a great price! ($8)
BEST
BUY WEBSITE
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 Cave
de Ribeauville
Gewürztraminer
1999, Alsace,
"Weingarten"
Brilliant,
rich, light gold color; big, complex, fruity,
peach, kiwi, floral, honey, wax, almond,
litchie nut, spicy and mineral
aromas with a hint of matchstick (rubber?,
SO2?);
sweet entry, ripe, deep, off-dry, honey,
spicy, mineral flavors; mild mouthfeel,
lush, round, oily texture,
unctuous, viscous, full body; well
balanced, with just enough tartness and
backbone; short, tangy, peach pit, slightly
bitter finish. 13.5% alcohol. The big, spicy
nose and full-bodied, oily texture argue for
this wine coming pretty close to
varietally-correct, classic Alsatian
Gewürztraminer. The front label is a Pascal
Henri Poirot painting and the winery name is
only printed in very tiny letters on the back
label. ($17.50) WEBSITE
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 Marc
Tempé
Pinot Blanc
1999, Alsace,
"Priegel"
Faintly hazy,
pale yellow-green color; fruit salad, apple,
citrus, grapefruit, lemon peel, sealing
wax, minerals, stones, gunpowder, earth and
older-aged aromas with some oak and musty
notes; clean, ripe, rich, barely dry,
complex, fruit salad, citrus, fig, spicy,
mineral, slate, gunmetal flavors; zingy,
slightly spritzy, oily body; excellent
balance, slightly tart; faint
bitterness, astringency in fairly long
finish. 13% alcohol. This wine is very
complex, quite intriguing and yet quite easy to
drink, although a couple of panelists were
bothered by the finish. ($21)
*WEBSITE
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TASTED
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 Domaine
Zind-Humbrecht
Riesling
1996, Alsace,
"Clos St. Urbain"
Clear, dull,
light gold color; big, fat, complex, floral,
hay, honeyed, overripe fruit, apricot, melon,
citrus, mineral, aged, wet wood, older,
musty and slightly fusel aroma (stale?.
oxidized?, maderized? Brettanomyces?
SO2?);
complex, but developed and integrated, cooked
fruit, baked apple, fig, melon, citrus,
mineral, wet stone and musty flavors
(flat?); rich body; good
balance, slightly tart; finish
lingers well. 12.5% alcohol. Older
rieslings seem to be an acquired taste, so this
wine, although nicely made, in relatively good
condition and "begging for ripe, smelly cheese",
remains the most controversial of the flight
(several tasters noticed flaws, but none agreed
on a particular one). ($45)
*WEBSITE
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 Hugel
"Gentil"
2000, Alsace
Clear, light
straw color; very light, muted fruit, citrus,
musty aromas (filter pad?, slightly
corked?); light, barely sweet flavors are mostly
mineral with little fruit; light body;
crisp, good balance; mouth-watering,
long finish. 12% alcohol. By local
custom, AC regulation, this wine must be made
from "noble varieties". Disappointing, since we
have liked this wine very well in the past, but
this was only a ghost of itself. Sometimes a
slightly cork-tainted bottle can be more
frustrating than a fully ruined one. ($10)
WEBSITE
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 Trimbach
Gewürztraminer
1998, Alsace
Bright, very
pale straw color; very light, sweet fruit, fig,
white peach, citrus, orange peel, floral,
honey, perfume, spicy, peppermint and aromas
with faintly vegetal and cardboard (filter pad?)
notes; slightly sweet, ripe, light floral,
honeysuckle and mineral flavors
(chemical?); soft, fat body; balance slightly
off, sweet-tart, little low in acid;
cloying, but faintly bitter finish. 13% alcohol.
A bit dull, lacks real interest or intrigue and
elements somehow seem "adulterated" and mixed,
rather than "natural" and blended. ($15.50)
WEBSITE
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 Trimbach
Riesling
1998, Alsace
Clear, light
greenish straw color; youthful, fruity, apricot,
citrus, orange rind, floral, honeysuckle,
wax, oak, fusel, petroleum, diesel
and terpene aromas; dry, austere,
underripe, citric, sour fruit, musty, earthy,
mineral and flint flavors; silky, sappy,
watery, thin body; fair balance, tangy, somewhat
acidic; medium length, very
mouth-watering, slightly hot finish. 12%
alcohol. Rather harsh wine that attacks
the palate; neither very pleasant, nor
completely awful; snobs may say it's "a little
too sophisticated" for our taste - we say it's
"a little too sadistic". ($15.50)
WEBSITE
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NOT
RECOMMENDED
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 Francois
Baur
Pinot Blanc
1998, Alsace,
"Herrenweg"
Brilliant,
light straw color; stinky, skunky,
rancid, rotten egg, smoky, musty, cooked
vegetable aromas overpower any fruit
(H2S?,
slightly oxidized? corked?); tight, "flat
Champagne", immature fruit, citrus,
funky, petroleum flavors are hard to judge;
hollow body; tart, acidic balance; finish. 12.5%
alcohol. Lacking flavor overall, and with
multiple flaws - some very unappealing elements
in the nose, there is nothing here to recommend.
($10.70) WEBSITE
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 Josmeyer
Pinot Blanc
1999, Alsace
Clear, very
pale straw color; light fruit,
melon, orange peel, mineral, gunflint
aromas (sumpy?, corked?); light,
weak, dry, grassy, barnyard flavors (off?);
watery body; fair balance, very tart and acidic;
mean, steely finish. 12% alcohol. Although
corked to a degree, we've had worse examples;
this wine managed to give us a tiny peek at its
character. ($14) WEBSITE
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This
Panel
included Regulars Mark, Deanna, Glenn,
Bob, Roy, Jon, Jim L., and Jim V. and
Guest Peter
About
Alsace
•
Vins
d'Alsace
• About
Gewürztraminer
• About
Pinot Blanc
• About
Riesling
• About
Proprietary Blends
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