1997 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune

Community Tasting Notes (66) Avg Score: 92.7 points

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  12/18/2023 - KTelaak_Buffalo Likes this wine: 96 Points

  A glorious 26 year old Riesling in pristine condition. Evolved for hours after opening. Fruits are fully present and acidity is subsiding. Still fresh. Golden in color. Best after 1 hour. A wonderful experience.

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  10/1/2022 - NoTrollingerPlease wrote: 92 Points

  Knoll Ried Schütt vertical + X (Restaurant Brunnenstube, Beinstein): Decanted for about 1h. Clear, deep golden color. Very muted and salty nose. On the palate it also felt closed and tight. Not flawed at all, but somehow restrained. It has all the right genes (acidity, minerality, depth and density), but it was not really singing. 92

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  7/22/2022 - humpbackoak wrote: 93 Points

  As my companion opined - This is not a wine to be drunk, but a wine to be tasted. 1997 was called by most as a spectacular vintage in Alsace, lavishly bestowed with ripe fruit. This lushness was glimpsed in snatches as the wine evolved in our glasses over a 2 hour period.
  
  A medium gold color, which is indicative of its 26 years of age. Cork in nearly perfect shape with only some light fading at the tip.
  
  At the opening, the honeyed fruit with a light touch of petroleum on the nose, glinting with mineral sparkle and a sharp taste of lime on the palate. Then at the 45 min mark, the fruit receded in the palate as the structure of the wine dominated through its filigreed acid and bitterness. At 1.5 hours the wine started to fill up nicely in the mouth with a rich rounded texture with a deep smokey crackle, but continued to be pinned back by the acidity of the wine. Frustratingly, the wine begin to shut down at the 2 hour mark, but continued to tease with a high toned nose of petroleum, white cranberries and honey.
  
  It felt like these two elements were constantly at battle - the richness of the vintage with the sharpness that is the trademark of the Trimbach wines. I cannot question the concentration and quality of Clos St Hune -the sheer weight of the mineral substance, the fruit and length of the finish is on par with Burgundy Grand Cru. A rapidly changeable wine, which is indicative of its complexity. However the big BUT is that I think it could be held back by the maker’s stylistic obsession with searing acidity.
  
  Have some patience when you open it. A slow ox of 1hr would be ideal. I would say go for it now and drink in the next 3-5 years. I am not sure how much longer the fruit can hold out against the acidity. Or perhaps this particular bottle was just at a more restrained phase of its lifespan and future drinkers can look forward to the abundant floral complexity described in other reviews :)

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  11/11/2021 - fcxj wrote: 92 Points

  Light diesel, resolved and placid. Not perfectly clean for my tastes.

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  7/25/2021 - Ebrim Likes this wine: 93 Points

  Short note - peach, apricot, hint of TDN, pinapple, honey melon, earl grey, lacks some finish, but is outstabding in every other department. Outstanding quality, 93p

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