March Wine Club – Alsace

This past Thursday, Wine Club looked at 3 different wines from the region of Alsace in France.  The last time we looked at Alsace was June 2008 so we were more than due to take another peak at this wonderful wine region.

Here is the LCBO Information on the wines -

TURCKHEIM HENGST GEWURZTRAMINER 2007

VINTAGES 259705
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 24.95
Wine, White Wine
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : M
Made in: Alsace, France
By: Ernest Preiss
Release Date: Mar 3, 2012

Tasting Note - Gewurztraminer is grown around the world, but the most famous expressions of this exotically spicy grape are found in Alsace. This example offers a great flourish of peach, pear, citrus, spice, rose-petal and lychee aromas. The palate is moderately sweet and deliciously lives up to the promise of the nose. Very appealing, and simply lovely. (VINTAGES panel, April 2011)

KUEHN FLORIMONT RIESLING 2009

VINTAGES 260257
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 22.95
Wine, White Wine
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : MD
Made in: Alsace, France
By: Vins D'Alsace Kuehn S.A.
Release Date: Mar 3, 2012

Tasting Note - Perfumed aromas of exotic spice introduce a persistent off-dry stream of ripe fruit flavour moderated by a wonderful sweet and tang aftertaste. This is medium bodied with a generous mouth feel. Sweet pear, apple and spice mingle with lemony citrus on the palate while the mid-length finish layers on yellow plum and a refreshing dollop of key lime showcasing that magical yin and yang that pairs so well with spicy Asian dishes like pad Thai. Score - 3 1/2 Stars (out of 5). (Vic Harradine, winecurrent.com, June 25, 2011)LCBO Information – Pierre Sparr Pinot Gris Réserve 2005

JOSEPH CATTIN HATSCHBOURG PINOT GRIS 2009

VINTAGES 260240
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 19.95
Wine, White Wine
13.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : M
Made in: Alsace, France
By: Cattin Freres
Release Date: Mar 3, 2012

Tasting Note - Richly textured wine, full of ripe and spicy fruit, the acidity just a hint behind the dried honey and watermelon flavors. It is full-bodied, ripe, packed with intense fruit flavors. A wine for aging over 3-4 years. Score - 93. (Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast, Dec. 2011)

Pouring out the wines, I was amazed to see the different hues to the wines.  The Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer were a golden yellow (the Gewürztraminer was slightly darker than the Pinot Gris) in colour whereas the Riesling was more a pale yellow with some greenish tint to it.  The nose on all 3 wines were very different from each other – The Pinot Gris had a moderate nose of rhubarb, pear and nutmeg, the Riesling had a weak nose with aromas of lime, petrol and green apple and the Gewürztraminer had a powerful nose with lovely aromas of roses, lychee and orange zest.  Tasting the wines was fun as they were all very different from each other too.  The Riesling had lively acidity and had a racy green apple flavour to it.  The Pinot Gris had interesting flavours of honey and peach but the acidity wasn’t that high which made the wine seem almost cloying.  The Gewürztraminer had powerful flavours of kiwi and white grapefruit and that usual bitterness in the mid-palate that I have come to expect from Gewürztraminer.

Tracy, a Wine Club member, did Buttered Chicken and served it with fresh sliced baguette.  I really like the Buttered Chicken and asked her for the recipe and she laughed and showed me the President’s Choice jar it came from.  I thought this was cool as that makes it super easy to make… just go buy a jar of it!  The Riesling was the clear winner with the food and it made an amazing pairing.

I loved the Riesling but wasn’t blow away by the other two wine, though the nose on the Gewürztraminer was awesome. 

Next month we’ll be looking at a Cab-blend from Australia and Cabernet Sauvignon from California.

Cheers!

Mark