Early next month a bunch of local wine industry friends are getting together to taste through different Alsatian wines. Pinot noir seems to be the only variety that’s difficult to identify good representatives for. Does anyone have some suggestions on good pinot noir producers and where I might find them? Thank you.
Hugel Grossi Laue Pinot Noir has been head and shoulders above all that I’ve had in a few trips to Alsace, but I also wasn’t looking for Pinot Noir in Alsace.
I’m sure someone is making some small batch stuff somewhere in Alsace that would destroy it, but I thought it was actually quite decent all things considered.
Thanks everyone for the recommendations. Looked all of them up on Wine Searcher and CellarTracker. As I expected not all are widely available but some vintages can be found. Ratings are good. Also finding Dom. Barmes-Buecher seems to make a consistently good pinot noir. From what I understand, only 20% of the wines from Alsace are exported which means many of the smaller lots, like some white GCs and pinot noir, are probably not making out of the country. Thank you again.
We tried that when we were at Hugel - adored it. The problem was that we adored other wines even more so it didn’t make the cut to haul back to the USA. It was one of the more unique Pinots I’ve had.
Maybe a late contribution, but I’ve enjoyed the PN from Ostertag’s Fronholz vineyard (they also somehow make a Riesling, Muscat, and Gewurztraminer from the same vineyard!). Importer is Kermit Lynch so should be relatively widely available? Gerard Schueller also makes some unique pinots, but a bit harder to find.
Ostertag pinot noir not currently available from KL…per their website. Only being offered online through a Florida operation at wicked high prices. I do have the Muscat Fronholz to try from Ostertag. Have not seen the Schueller PN online yet.
Ah shucks. I bought the Ostertag a couple years ago at the shop in Berkeley so I thought it would be easy.
Another suggestion I just remembered: Zusslin makes a couple great PNs. The “Ophrys” is especially pretty and charming, not what is generally expected out of Alsace (this is a bit of a pet region of mine ).
I have had this as well and it was exactly what I was looking for – the flavor of Burgundy combined with the rich texture of Alsace. I would sell more than a few Berserkers souls-- not my own, of course – to the devil to get my hands on a couple of bottles.