Barmes-Buecher in Princeton
The Princeton Corkscrew Wine Shop, Palmer Square
Tasted January 23, 2008 by RajivAyyangar with 116 views
Introduction
Approx Date:
October, 2007
These four Alsace wines were tasted at the Princeton Corkscrew wine shop. The wine glasses were a bit on the thick-rimmed side, and I caught one whiff of heavy perfume, but otherwise, smelling conditions were superb, the atmosphere friendly (save yet another joke from the French guy about how he knows I'm 21). The proprietors/winemakers were present and answering questions, mostly in German and French.
All four wines were of similar mild sweetness, and all offset that sweetness in some way. The Crémant d'Alsace with acidity and carbonation, the Riesling with acidity, the Pinot Gris with bitterness, and the Gewurtzraminer with a combination of bitterness and viscous body. They were well-balanced wines with each element clearly discernable. The nose of each wine possessed at least two elements, though no single wine was very complex aromatically.
Flight 1 (5 notes)
-- Full:
There is considerable fruit on the nose - green grapes (a wine that smells like grapes? incroyable!) with strong lemon and a hint of a diametrically opposite smell - perhaps overripe canteloupe. Sweet with balancing acidity, the body was unremarkable on the midpalate. In the finish, where tannins would take hold in a red wine, the flavor suddenly vanishes, leaving a tasteless but faintly sweet and viscous feeling, slightly warmed by alcohol. I know glycerol is viscous, and I've read that it imparts a slight sweetness to wine, so I'm going to guess that this finish is mostly glycerol.
Full:
The nose displayed equal parts subdued fruit and yeast, with a faint hint of citrus. The acidity was low, but the sweetness was countered by a notable bitterness that first makes itself felt in the midpalate then lingers through the finish. A slight alcoholic bite on the back of the throat gives the impression of "spiciness." I'm not a big fan of the bitterness, but I can see how many would consider this a "well-balanced" wine. The co-proprietor and wife of the winemaker named this as her favorite, citing smoke and earth in the nose, which I can't corroborate, but... it could be there.
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Lychees!!! The aroma is exactly like that of lychees, with a spritz of lemon rind, and something that suggested orange rind. On the palate, it was sweet like the others, almost medium-bodied (due to high glycerin concentration, perhaps?) with ripe melon and yeast on the midpalate. Again, bitterness made itself felt on the midpalate. The finish was bitter, with a little yeast, then faded into glycerol, with more alcohol "heat" than the Riesling.