Henrik Möbitz 2006 Koepfle Gewürztraminer Auslese

Medium golden color with a medium wide watery rim. Medium intensity of tarragon, rose petal, minerality, pear and a hint of bitter grapefruit. Off-dry on the palate, with medium(+) acidity. Medium body and alcohol. Medium intensity of tarragon, grapefruit and apple sauce. Long length with a mineral finish.

Gewürztraminer I find often too overpowering but the Kœpfle has a complex, almost delicate nose. Nothing jumps out of the glass and strangles my olfactory system. Instead it bathes it in well-defined vapors. Often, that means that the flavor will fall short. But no: this is an incredibly well balanced and elegant Gewürztraminer! Bitter grapefruit paired with sweet tarragon flavors (and some residual sugar, which offsets the bitterness, which is inherent to this grape variety). This light herbal sweetness is perfectly balanced by a refreshingly high level of acidity, not necessarily connected with this grape. All of this is very concentrated, due to the low yields of only 25 hl/ha. It's ready to drink now but given the fairly high level of acidity and its flavor complexity, this will reward 5-10 years of cellaring.