pixelchef said:

I’ve recently become enamored with the wines of Alsace. I’m a Riesling freak, but I’m trying to expand as far beyond that as my infantile palate will allow, so I figured I’d dance around Alsace for a while and do some tasting. Thus far, I love it.

ANDRÉ BLANCK PINOT BLANC ROSENBOURG 2004

This would be delicious with quiche and asparagus. On the nose, I get a lot of vibrancy; apple, pear, mineral, pine. It’s dry with a flinty edge that I find really interesting. Light-to-medium body, with a finish that I found to be surprisingly lengthy.

BINNER GEWURZTRAMINER KAEFFERKOPF 2004

Apparently this wine has some intriguing history. When vandals chopped down a substantial portion of Christian Binner’s vines, his neighbours and friends donated enough grapes from their vineyards for him to make this wine.

Bold and in-your-face. Aromas are varietal-typical; lychee, grapefruit, kiwi, apple sauce (cinnamon, nutmeg). Off-dry, but very full. Long and delicious finish.

GÉRARD NEUMEYER SYLVANER VIEILLES VIGNES 2005

A very light pale straw colour. Flint on the nose along with some spice (curry?). Dry with some powerful fruit that is nicely balanced with sharp acidity. Medium -bodied with a finish that just lingers for what seemed like forever. I think it’d be wonderful with steamed mussels.

HUGEL MUSCAT ‘TRADITION’ 2004

Mmm! Roses, grapefruit and white table grapes dominate the nose. Really pleasant. It’s dry again, with a really jumpy core of acid. I got a lot of replay from the nose on the palate, along with juicy peaches. Substantial finish. My first thought was that it’d be great with sushi.

Good stuff, this Alsace juice!

pixelchef said:

It’s no secret that I’m still very much a novice when it comes to wine (and many other things). Last weekend I was fortunate enough to attend a dinner at friends of my grandparent’s place. He is an avid collector, and decided that on this night we’d check out how the 89 vintage of CdP was doing. Lucky me!

He opened 3 bottles from 89 which I’ll list below, along with my elementary thoughts of the wine. This vintage has a reputation for being rather stellar, so I feel somewhat unqualified writing notes about it. However, practice makes perfect! I’d love to be able to “practice” drinking 1989 CdP far more often, though.

Domaine Vieux Lazarets Les Couversets Chateauneuf du Pape

This was my least favourite of the three. On the nose, it seemed incredibly acidic and what I perceived to be a little high on the alcohol content. It surprised me though, as it was quite soft with alcohol. I got a lot of spicy oak on the palate, which seemed to soften with time in the glass and made way for some ripe fruit flavours. Then a rather dominant liccorice aroma became a little too agressive for this taster.

Domaine Durieu Chateauneuf du Pape

I liked this much more. The nose was pumped full or luscious, ripe fruit. Very dark and deep in colour. The palate is very spicy and tannic, which made for a really lively journey down the gullet. Medium body, elegant finish. I liked it.

Chateau Fortia Chateauneuf du Pape

This was also very dark in colour. Mysterious, even. I got a lot of bitter coffee notes on the nose, and leather as well. A very different aroma profile than the other two tasted. I found it really quite surprising. Really well-rounded in the mouth. I tasted a lot of toasty caramel or toffee flavours. Very smooth finish. A pleasure!

KathyGreen said:

I am in Germany right now and thrulled with every Riesling trocken I’ve tried. The “times Herald” had an article last week that 2007 was the best year in 100 years for rResling.