It used to be so easy. German Riesling was sweet and Riesling from Alsace was dry. That's all there was to it. It was so easy.
Only indifferent people drank sweet Reisling so we happily drank Alsatian Riesling. Because we knew better. Because it was dry. But then things got complicated. Austria suddenly became Germany's antipode and then Germany let the wine world know that it produces quite a bit of dry Riesling, too. And to make things worse, while drinking Alsatian Riesling we realized that it often wasn't dry at all.
We like to curse the Germans. At least whenever wine labels are mentioned. But at least those cursed labels inform us—even if that means that the act of drinking requires reading. Alsace wine labels are similar to those of their German neighbors as they mention the grape variety on the label. But except for Vendange Tardive, which may or may not be sweet and Selection de Grains Nobles, which is definitely sweet there is no indication about sugar levels in a wine. How are we supposed to know if a Riesling from Alsace is dry or not if it's not a VT or SGN?
We need help.
We need to know what will go with the food we are cooking (or ordering in restaurants). Some growers in Alsace indicate sweetness levels on the back label, but there is no unified way that tells customers what they should expect. Even looking at the alcohol level isn't a reliable indication anymore. Grapes are harvested at increasingly riper levels, which means that even a Riesling with 13.5% alcohol may still show some residual sugar. The Riesling taste profile would help.
I have noticed a decline in Alsatian Rieslings in New York City's wine stores. The ubiquitous Hugel is everywhere. Sometimes the only one. I remember not too long ago it was not difficult to find a Riesling from Kreydenweiss, Ostertag, Albert Mann or Josmeyer in NYC stores. But now? A Gewurztraminer or Pinot Gris maybe, if you are lucky. Crush, the Riesling haven in NYC, carries an impressive 22 Rieslings from Alsace - all from one single producer!* No other maison from Alsace seems to be worthy to be put next to Dönnhoff, Pichler, Keller et al.
Something is going on.
Justin Christoph from New York's "Riesling AC" (a group of Riesling lovers) recently visited Alsace and after his return invited New York City's acid hounds to a blind tasting of 14 Alsatian Rieslings (plus a German Riesling from Rheinhessen mixed in). The concerted lineup of aged and new Rieslings—both from well-known and lesser known producers—provided an interesting snapshot of what is produced east of the Vosges mountains. Trimbach's Cuvee Frederic Emile (we tasted the 1990 vintage and the 2001 Vendange Tardive, the 2005 alas! was corked) clearly stood out. They had aged gracefully and still sung with supreme verve. A real pleasure to drink now but both wines will develop further in bottle, even the 1990.
Another Vendange Tardive from the 2001 vintage, Zind-Humbrecht 2001 Riesling Brand, showed an impressive balance of acidity and residual sugar while offering complex flavors and long length. Another highlight was Francois Baur's 2005 Riesling Clos de la Treille, a very expressive Riesling with long length and further aging potential.
And the rest? There was no consistent quality among the wines and they struggled with sugar levels, offering too little acidity to balance them. Not surprisingly, the odd wine in this blind tasting—an inexpensive dry Riesling from Rheinhessen with racy acidity mixed in as wine #13—was a welcome spark of freshness.
Tasting notes for each wine below.
Tasting notes
Weinbach 2009 Riesling Schlossberg Grand Cru
Nice fruity/mineral aroma, elegant and balanced. Dry on the palate, with a hint of residual sugar, medium(+) alcohol and acidity. Soft mouthfeel. Medium intensity of ripe and bitter grapefruit flavor. Medium length. Good - very good.
Weinbach 2009 Riesling Schlossberg Cuvée St. Catherine Grand Cru
Wiry mineral nose with citrus fruit aroma. Aroma developed quickly in the glass and gained a nice herbal aspect and riper fruit. Dry on the palate with medium(+) acidity and alcohol. Pleasant juicy grapefruit flavors. Long length. Very good.
Barmes-Buecher 2008 Riesling Rosenberg
Developed nose of flowers and apple, with a nice touch of minerality. Dry, high acidity, medium body. Medium intensity of bitter grapefruit and minerality. Medium length. Good - very good.
Albert Boxler 2008 Riesling Sommerberg
Medium intensity of pear fruit gummi and apple. Hint of residual sugar on the palate and only medium(-) acidity. Ripe apple and smoke flavors but overall a bit overweight and flabby. Relatively short length. Quite disappointing for a Boxler Riesling. Average.
Robert Karcher 2007 Riesling Harth
Simple aroma of pear fruit gummin and citrus fruit. Hint of residual sugar, medium acidity. Apple and citrus flavors. Lacking freshness. Short length. Average.
Pierre Frick 2007 Riesling Vorbourg
Unusual aroma which I found difficult to describe: ripe pear fruit and wax. Not faulty, but certainly odd. Dry on the palate, medium acidity. Tastes a bit like a fruit punch, where different fruit flavors are mixed and difficult to tell apart. Spicy. Lacks focus. Medium length. Average.
Francois Baur 2005 Riesling Clos de la Treille
Medium golden color. Developed nose with a medium(+) intensity of honey and orange aromas, quite spicy and expressive. Off-dry on the palate, medium(+) acidity and medium alcohol. Flavors of apple sauce, honey, walnut and cloves. Nicely balanced. Long length. Very good.
Trimbach 2005 Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile
Corked.
Kientzler 2008 Riesling Geisberg
Earthy aroma (spontaneous fermentation?), minerals, citrus and yeast. Dry on the palate with medium(+) acidity and noticeable alcohol. Apple and apricot flavors with a medium length. Nice aroma, but a a bit unbalanced on the palate. Average - good.
Kientzler 1999 Riesling Osterberg
Developed nose with a medium(+) intensity of honey, blackberry and apricot. Off-dry on the palate, the flavors were less intense, almost a bit thin. Nevertheless nice ripe peach and apricot fruit, quite jammy. Medium length. Good.
Paul Blanck 2000 Riesling Schlossberg Grand Cru
Developed nose, flower and perfumed, honey and peach. Dry on the palate, medium alcohol, body and acidity. Balanced, with a medium intensity of bruised apple flavors with medium length. Tasted tired - past its prime with only a faint memory of its most likely former grandness. Average - good.
Zind-Humbrecht 2001 Riesling Brand Vendange Tardive
Sweet honey aroma, peach and apricot. Developed. Dry on the palate, medium acidity and alcohol. Pronounced flavors of spiced peach, stones, bitter grapefruit. Long length. Nice scratchy mineral finish. Very balanced, aged Riesling. Very good.
Brüder Dr. Becker 2008 Riesling Trocken (Rheinhessen, Germany)
Aroma of stones, pear and citrus fruit. Dry, medium(+) acidity. Medium intensity of citrus flavors and minerality. Simple but solid and very refreshing Riesling. Good.
Trimbach 1990 Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile
Aroma of ripe stone fruit, honey and pepper, with a hint of petrol. Dry on the palate with very pleasant earthy flavors, bitter grapefruit, apricot and honey. Medium(+) length. Great balance. Very good - excellent.
Trimbach 2001 Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile VT
Developed nose of blackberry, peach and licorice. Sweet, medium(+) acidity. Medium(+) intensity of berry flavors, honey and licorice and spices. Long length. Very good - excellent.