This is based on samples supplied by the winery or another organization on their behalf.

2010 Trimbach Riesling

2011 Meyer-Fonné Riesling Reserve

2011 Domaine Ostertag Riesling Vignoble d’E

2011 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Cuvée Théo

The Region of Alsace

Tucked into France’s northeastern corner, Alsace follows the Rhine River through its long, thin strip. The Vosges Mountains protect and provide Alsace with a backdrop for some of France’s most stunning scenery.

Central to this landscape of rolling hills and charming timber villages is the renowned Alsace Wine Route (Route des Vins d’Alsace), a 106 mile journey winding through more than 100 wine villages, 19 of which host 26 Michelin-starred restaurants. Incomparable weather and scenery, delicious eating and drinking, and generous hospitality make Alsace a feast for all the senses.

Loads of information on Alsace is available here.

The lineup for the tasting was:

2010 Trimbach Riesling – SRP $20

To me, Trimbach is the torch bearer for Alsace wines. You can find their wines in just about every decent wine store in the country.

The Trimbach family has been producing wine since 1626 and the 13^th generation of the family, Anne, has recently joined the “family business”. Trimbach usually harvests their grapes in late October. The grapes are fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks and concrete vats.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light yellow to straw color. The fresh and Spring like nose has lemon zest, minerals, apples, candied ginger, steamy slate, orange blossoms, white peach, and a touch of pineapple. This has fairly light body, very crisp acidity, and is dry. On the palate mouthwatering lemon and minerals kick off the show with candied ginger and a floral note kicking in on the back end. The finish is very long with a bit of pineapple adding to the lemon and minerals. This was better as it warmed and got some air. This is good now, but will reward a few years in the cellar. (92 pts)

2011 Meyer-Fonné Riesling Reserve – SPR $22

This is another old world winery that has been around for a LONG time. In this case, the winery was founded in 1732.

The winery is increasingly getting into organic farming and does not use synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. All grapes are hand picked and are fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks or oak barrels using native yeasts. The wines are aged on their fine lees

My Tasting Note

The wine is a very light straw color. The very open and easy going nose has lemon zest, apples, white peaches, minerals, and honeysuckle. This has light to medium body, good acidity, and just a touch of sweetness. On the palate this is very fruit driven with apples and citrus up front with minerals and white peach coming in later. The finish has nice length and again is fruit driven. This is a touch softer that most dry Rieslings making it seem a touch sweeter. This fruit driven wine could easily stand alone on a hot afternoon or evening of pair with a spicy dish. (87 pts)

2011 Domaine Ostertag Riesling Vignoble d’E – SRP $24

This is a relatively new winery that was founded in 1966.

This wine is a blend of grapes from 15 different plots in and around the village of Epfig. This wine is made in a style that showcases the fruit with little regard for terroir. The grapes are whole cluster pressed via a pneumatic press and fermented using wild yeasts and aged in stainless steel tanks for a year.

This wine is Certified Organic.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a very light, pale straw color. The very nice nose has lemon zest, toast, apples, white flowers, spice, grapefruit, apricots, and minerals. This has light to medium body, good acidity, and has just a hint of sweetness. The creamy palate features nice citrus and apples up front with a nice floral note, pices, and minerals coming in on the backend. The finish has very nice length and again highlights the citrus, apple, and minerals, with a slight saline element coming into play. This would be a very nice wine to serve to a new comer as an introduction to dry Rieslings. (89 pts)

2011 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Cuvée Théo – SRP $30

Talk about a winery with some history! The winery was established in 1612 and the land has been home to vines since at least the year 890.

All Domaine Weinbach wines are estate-grown and bottled. The vineyards have been cultivated organically for 20 years.

After gentle pressing the wines are vinified in ancient 1500 to 6000 liter casks using only native yeasts.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light golden straw color. The very appealing nose has lemon zest, minerals, anise, white pepper, white peaches, apples, pineapple, lime zest, yeasty bread, and orange blossoms. This has light to medium body, crisp acidity, and is dry. Even though this is dry it has nice richness on the palate with a nice mix of fruit and minerals with a very appealing herbal note in the background and a spritz of lime kicking in on the lengthy finish. Even at the young age, this is already showing nice complexity. This is one to enjoy now or a few years down the road. Impressive. (91 pts)

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines. I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar. I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com. Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear. There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase. I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive. I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount. Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges. None of the prices include the sales tax.

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

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