August 28, 2021 - 4th Saturday Brown Bagger (EBCC): Blind. Subtle; lychee and pear. Not as expressive as the first in the lineup.
March 21, 2021 - over the hills
November 3, 2017 - Color hard to judge in dim light. Sweetened lemons and daisies on the nose. Sweet lemon water with spring flowers up front followed by an abrupt and dynamic transition to an intense and weighty minerality with lemon zest notes unlike anything I have experienced before; it’s a combination of an easy Alsace drinker on the front palate with Joly chenin blanc end palate and finish (which lasts forever). It is strangely well-integrated despite the jarring transition. Silky mouth-feel. Rating is based in significant part on the uniqueness.
July 8, 2016 - no proper notes - A very good quality gewurztraminer, but in my opinion it lacks acidity and structure and the aromas is a bit too perfumed for my taste, but straight quality wise it is very good quality. Considering the price it's not the best buy i've come across. In my opinion this one needs a good pairing with food to shine, still very good quality with potential for agening, 86-87p
May 12, 2015 - Alsace with Jerk Chicken (Home): bottle 64810-404 (accessed 5/5, 5/7, 5/11)
@home
Nose: some floral terpenes, but mostly bitter thiols.
Pairing with slightly spicy jerk chicken, mild mango salsa, rice: * Alcohol caused spiciness to burn after a bit.
May 11, 2015 - First Savennieres - a Joly with some Alsace for contrast (Home): Bottle 64810-404 (accessed 5/5, 5/7)
Nose: Tight. Bitter candied rose petal with grapefruit pith (ripe).
Palate: Fat, diminished acidity, strong phenolic bitterness.
May 5, 2015 - Alsace @ Home II: The Three Grapes (Home): bottle 64810-404 (first accessing)
@home
Summary:
Structure was classically Gewurz: Low acid, high alcohol, high phenolic bitterness, touch of RS. Nose was terpenic but emphasizing candied rose petals and musky perfume rather than canned or fresh lychees.
Overall - very nice. It’s just not speaking to me like the Boxler. Maybe it’s still a bit young?
Score: Between 8.5 and 9.
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Clear, just bright.
Pale gold with reflections of green and straw in the glass.
No gas or sediment.
Moderate tears.
[taste: some RS - less than the Pinot Gris, maybe 15g/L RS?]
Nose:
Moderate plus in intensity. Clean.
Terpenic candied rose petals dominate with ripe syrupy lychee and a bit of thiol-like grapefruit pith bitterness on the back-end. Cardamom and waxy floral oils dominate - this is more floral and waxy than fruit-driven.
No evidence of oak on the nose.
Overall waxy and floral-driven.
There’s some complexity to this wine.
It’s youthful to developing - still seems quite primary.
Palate:
A touch of RS - maybe 15 g/L
Medium plus body, Moderate plus alcohol ~13%? [close - 13.5%].
Savory and waxy with some suggestions of ripe apricot.
I was told there’s wood on this but I’m not picking up anything obvious - maybe some old barrels. [according to the bottle, fermentation is in old large casks - so it makes sense that I’m not picking it up.]
Balanced acidity but just moderate to moderate minus / diminished.
Very present phenolic bitterness at the end - moderately elevated.
The wine is balanced, emphasizing alcohol, sweetness, and bitterness.
It has a little complexity but is still pretty primary.
Finish is moderate in length.
February 6, 2015 - This is my favorite entry-level Alsatian Gewurztraminer. Lychee, spices, ginger, rose petal water & tons of white fruits. "Classic Gewurztraminer" (in-your-face) profile. You either love or hate this wine. Cuvee Laurence is more restraint and elegant, but this is it for me when I eat Thai, Indonesian, Indian & other spicy Southeast Asian food. Amazing mouth-feel & palate cleansing after a chili-sauce. Residual sugar at about Indice level 3 out of 5 (Indice 5 being sweetest, below a Vendage Tardive). Residual wine in the bottle still tasted great the next day without vacuum preservation. I prefer the 2011 to the 2012.
August 16, 2014 - Looking at the notes for this, i feel like i must be the only person buying this wine.
Oh well, its actually kind of nice.
January 27, 2014 - The Alsace Wine Day 2014 (Operaterrassen, Stockholm): Nose with white peach, lychee, and a discrete perfume note. The palate has some residual sugar (I estimate it to be 2-3 on the Alsace sweetness scale 1-9), mineral, and a medium acidity. Rather good balance for a Gewurztraminer. 88 p