Vinous

• By Stephen Tanzer
  November/December 2008, IWC Issue #141 (link)

  (Domaine Agathe Bursin Gewurztraminer Zinnkoepfle) Subscribe to see review text.

RJonWine.com

• By Richard Jennings
  1/22/2009 (link) 91 points

  (Agathe Bursin Gewurztraminer Zinnkoepflé) Light canary yellow color; rich lychee cream, ripe lime nose; sweet, ripe, floral, lychee, sweet butter, cream and lime honey palate; medium finish 91+ pts.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  7/7/2008 (link)

  (GRAND CRU Zinnk GEWURZ Agathe Bursin) 2007 Alsace Dear Friends, I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend! We were surprised by an unexpected article in the Seattle paper on Garagiste over the weekend so it added to our enjoyment of the holiday (and kept the "in" box very busy). It is always nice to have positive words penned about our group effort - thanks to Dan Richman for taking the time to highlight this eccentric company and the fact that we continue to do this on your behalf every day of the year. On to today's wine... Of all the highlights on my trip in February, one of the young woman-owner/winemaker stables in Alsace had me as excited as any other (including some of the incredible 2006 Northern Rhones which were tough to top). I've had to wait over four months to send this offer because of reviews that were upcoming in the Revue du Vin de France but, with the reviews now out, I can finally talk about the 2007 portfolio from Agathe Bursin - one of the absolute stars of the 2007 white wine vintage in France. If you are a fan of Zind-Humbrecht and the other suger-hunters in the south of Alsace, this is a group of wines I recommend with aplomb. The wine of Bursin has become one of the most difficult tickets in Alsace and few if any bottles remain the day after release (most are already gone before release - I'm fairly sure the entire 2007 portfolio is already sold out and it's only been released for a week). With no more than 20 case of each wine for the entire US (and very reasonable prices), please be patient with final allocations. Agathe has turned in some lovely wines in the past but her 2007 portfolio will make her a household name that will rival the finest Alsace has to offer. Think of Bursin as an Alsatian terroirist that produces in the Kabinett-Spatlese style with most wines (similar to Zind-Humbrecht, or the opposite of something like Boxler that vies toward a dry style). You can jump in without hesitation here - all of the wines merit serious interest and this is more evidence of the symmetry and reflection the 2007 white wine vintage provided in many parts of Europe. For more information on this up and coming star, see (unrelated to us): http://www.alsace-wine.net/p/bursin.shtml 2007 Agathe Bursin Sylvaner EXTREMELY LIMITED Bursin's Sylvaner is hands down one of the finest in all of Alsace. Good in the past, in 2007 this may be her signature. If you desire an educational and elixer-like example of 2007 at a very reasonable price, try this. Probably Spatlese in residual, this wine has gorgeous floral balance and a center that is like crushed lime. A sophistication pervades despite the sweetness and this should age very well as the acidity is also there in spades. Think of this as an Alsatian version of something like a top-end Rheingau Spatlese (made form Sylvaner) and you will see the inherent value. An excellent effort. 2007 Agathe Bursin "L'As de B" EXTREMELY LIMITED This is Agathe's house wine, a blend of all the varietals she works with (Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sylvaner, Gew and Muscat). Dreamy with a grand sense of minerality and purpose, this supposed "field blend" is right on the mark in 2007 and it also compares favorable to moderate pradikat wines at twice this price. With slightly less RS than the Sylvaner, this is another example that personifies Bursin's pin-point attention to detail and varietal purity. The mix may be strange but the result is rich and racy, shimmering with the mid-day sun. RECOMMENDED as an alternative to the everyday. 2007 Agathe Bursin Riesling EXTREMELY LIMITED What can you say? This is simply fabulous in 2007. It cascades with candied blood orange slices, falling over a watershed of back-end tone that is very dark indeed. This wine is all on the back of the palate which signals its best days are still years away. A fondue of fruit sugar meshed with a bucket of shard-rich rock and acid? This wine somehow pulls off the mystery of the finest residual wine - intense and sweet but dignified and defined with a memorable structure and delicious presence. OUTSTANDING for the style and underpriced. 2007 Agathe Bursin Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Zinnkoepfle EXTREMELY LIMITED Agathe believes this is the best wine she's ever made and with the RVF (Revue du Vin de France/2007 Vintage Review) shining such a bright light on her, our allocation of this Grand Cru is in bottles. If you could have confit of Gewurztraminer mixed with cardamom, cumin, farm-fresh caramel and just-picked green peppercorns all coated in brown sugar and subjected to a propane torch treatment (a la creme brulee), it would be this wine. Not sure exactly what to say. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, especially for the price (most 2007 Grand Cru wines will be almost double this price with the Euro/Dollar devaluation even since the 2006s were released). Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Als8500 Als8510 Als8520 Als8530