October 10, 2020 - Saturday riesling and farewell (Chicago, IL): Surprisingly fresh and green for a wine of such age, with vibrant acidity throughout, though the palate is where this seems to fall a little flat, as it comes across a little simple, without too much depth of flavour. In particular, I have always felt CFE is a heavyset version of the Trimbach wines, and this bottle seems to buck that trend. In any case, I'd be inclined to drink up, at least based on this bottle.
August 8, 2018 - Trimbach etc. at S.K.Y. (Chicago, IL): An incredible bottle of CFE -- very much old riesling matured perfectly. There's plenty of gasoline aromas and flavours, but coupled with some dried fruits. This clearly shows its age, but the broadness of this cuvee is now very nicely integrated with the rest of the elements here, especially the secondary fruit and the acidity. There's a great bit of spice here as well that adds a lot of complexity. Lucked out on this one -- this was a bottle in spectacular condition.
October 24, 2017 - Anne Trimbach at Table, Donkey and Stick (Chicago, IL): A really lovely bottle of aged dry riesling. The nose has a little bit of funk to it, in that there's a touch of animale here. The palate has a really nice richness to it, with a little bit of sweetness that evokes a feinherb style. It's got a heavier body, but a nice bit of acidity to round it out.
September 1, 2017 - GMs - Casual Fridays September 2017: Corked.
August 5, 2017 - I've had a few bottles now from the single source I bought these at, and this was probably the best one. Classic Trimbach petrol and mineral; just very well put together. Has an agelessness about it where it's gained a weighty textural quality but isn't showing any indication of tipping into cidery or otherwise oxidized flavors. There's nothing particularly show-stopping about this other than those factors, but still a very solid, fairly singular wine in a good place.
August 5, 2017 - Another Saturday at Chevalier...Mostly Blind (Chicago, IL): Mature apple and pear with savory spice in spades. petrol hints and stony minerality. Very long, wonderfully balanced.
November 18, 2016 - Neb-fest: Nebbiolo & Truffle Dinner (Chicago, IL): Cork may not have had a perfect seal. But the wine was quite youthful none-the-less. The fruit here was still fresh and bright. Not a ton of depth/complexity, as this doesn't really show any of those diesel-y notes I usually find in older Riesling. Even still this is an enjoyable and pure expression of dry Riesling.
November 7, 2016 - Leaking bottle, with a cork that wasn't holding and dropped right in with pressure. Still, youthful bright color. All petrol on the nose. Some white pepper notes with a touch of citrus. Good length and body, though cracks up a bit on the finish when initially served a bit warm. Solid, and will look forward to my other bottles.
May 23, 2016 - Hard for me to get into; low-ish acidity, very modest sweetness. Like kerosene poured on a cardboard box and a grating of lime zest on top. Immaculate bottle, cork, and fill. Not corked but not the energy I'd expect.
May 13, 2016 - This was a controversial wine, but I really liked it. Musty at first, but this blew off to reveal a bouquet with ridiculous levels of petrol/kerosene, and additional nuances of almonds, lime, and ginger. The palate was silky and showed surprisingly little acidity, but I loved the ginger spiciness, the lime zest, and the sherry-like bitterness. Got better deeper into the bottle, with fantastic length too. Certainly not your average wine-- rather, a singular, complex and special one.