TNs: Alsatian Wines Blind Tasting

WINE TALK
1

ALSATIAN WINES BLIND TASTING - Newport Beach, CA (6/12/2009)

This tasting was conducted blind.

The group’s top wines were: #1 2006 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer, #2 1997 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer, #3 2007 Beck-Hartweg Riesling Grand Cru Frankstein. Based upon these rankings, it seems clear that the sweeter wines won the day. My top wines, on the other hand, were: #1 2007 Jean Albrecht Riesling Reserve, #2 2007 Beck-Hartweg Pinot Gris Cuvée Prestige, #3 2006 Beck-Hartweg Pinot Gris Grand Cru Frankstein.

  • 1997 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC
    Rich and aged aromas of Captain Crunch cereal and caramel. Honey, dried peaches, and a touch of oyster shells on the palate. This was the group’s #2 wine. (88 pts.)
  • 1998 Hugel et Fils Gewurztraminer “Hugel” - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC
    Earthy notes of moss, peat, apple skin, and river water. (85 pts.)
  • 2000 Albert Mann Gewurztraminer Steingrubler - France, Alsace, Wettolsheim, Alsace Grand Cru AOC
    Rich aromas of lychee, fruit cake, and cinnamon. Mixed nuts and baking spices on the palate. Chewy and dense. 89-90 points. (89 pts.)
  • 2003 Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC
    Muted aromas of graham crackers and baking spices followed by wet stones and mossy river water on the palate. At one point, the wine smelled of wet socks. (86 pts.)
  • 2004 Schoffit Riesling Harth - France, Alsace, Thann, Alsace AOC
    Refreshing notes of lime zest, grapefruit, kumquat, and crushed minerals. Tangy and pure with terrific acidity. (90 pts.)
  • 2005 Albert Mann Gewurztraminer Furstentum Vieilles Vignes - France, Alsace, Kientzheim & Sigolsheim, Alsace Grand Cru AOC
    Exotic notes of charcuterie, ocean spray, oyster shells, lychee, and spiced pears. The meatiness of the nose was a bit of a turn-off, but the palate was decent. (85 pts.)
  • 2005 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC
    Aromas of apricots, petrol, and touch of cornichon (pickle juice). Dry on the palate with notes of straw, kumquat and kiwi. (88 pts.)
  • 2006 Beck-Hartweg Pinot Gris Grand Cru Frankstein - France, Alsace, Dambach-la-Ville, Alsace Grand Cru AOC
    Interesting and complex aromas of fresh river water, moss , and peat followed by a palate of honeydew melon and stone fruits. Long finish. My #3 wine. 90-91 points. (90 pts.)
  • 2006 Beck-Hartweg Riesling Cuvée Prestige - France, Alsace, Dambach-la-Ville, Alsace Grand Cru AOC
    Aromas of lime zest and white flowers. Kumquat, lemongrass, and chalk on the palate. 88-89 points. (88 pts.)
  • 2006 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Gueberschwihr - France, Alsace, Gueberschwihr, Alsace AOC
    Initially musty, setting off my TCA alert, but with air notes of honey, green tea, dried herbs and marzipan emerged. An intriguing Gewurtz. Although somewhat controversial, this ended up being the group’s #1 wine. 89-90 points. (89 pts.)
  • 2007 Albert Mann Gewurztraminer - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC
    Herbal and mossy with notes of soft cheese. Sweet and unbalanced. (82 pts.)
  • 2007 Beck-Hartweg Pinot Gris Cuvée Prestige - France, Alsace, Dambach-la-Ville, Alsace Grand Cru AOC
    A little surprised to learn that this was a Pinot Gris. Notes of lychee, kiwi, and spiced pears. Refined and elegant on the palate. My #2 wine. (91 pts.)
  • 2007 Beck-Hartweg Riesling Grand Cru Frankstein - France, Alsace, Dambach-la-Ville, Alsace Grand Cru AOC
    Aromas of marzipan, apricot, and peaches. Lime zest on the palate with a long, lingering finish. The group’s #3 wine. (90 pts.)
  • 2007 Domaine Ostertag Pinot Blanc Barriques - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC
    Chalk, minerals, and fresh river water on the nose followed by a delicate palate of lemon zest and unripe nectarines. (87 pts.)
  • 2007 Jean Albrecht Riesling Reserve - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC
    Aromas of white flowers, vanilla bean, almond extract, and moss. Elegant on the palate with notes of lime zest and river water. My #1 wine and the group’s #4. 91-92 points. (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Great notes. Very interesting tasting, especially considering what happened with the 2006 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurtztraminer.

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Frankly, I was surprised by the result. There was a small contingent who insisted that the wine was not corked, and I think they all ended up voting for it as their #1 wine. [shrug.gif]

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Paul, I’ve read a lot of varied wine descriptors, but I believe that is the first time I’ve ever seen a wine compared to Cap’n Crunch! Nice notes.

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RE petrol notes in wines:

Update from Drs Richard Smart and Caroline Gilby (Wine Report 2009, p. 384):

Nitrogen and TDN (trimethyl-dihydronapthylene) – It seems that increased levels of nitrogen fertilizer lead to lower levels of TDN, an important component of the kerosene-like aroma in Riesling), according to German research looking at various fertilizer treatments carried out over several vintages.

Edited to add quote from Tom Stevenson (http://www.wine-pages.com/guests/tom/riesling-petrol-2.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;):

“Riesling’s so-called petrol aroma has been identified as trimethyldihydronaphthalene or, to be precise, 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaphthalene (Simpson, 1978). TDN is a C13 norisoprenoid, which some class as a terpene, but others do not. It is a moot point; a semantic argument upon which chemists continue to differ. TDN is rarely found in grapes or, indeed, young wine, although its precursors are, and they are primarily carotenoids (may chemists state definitely beta-carotene, others probably alpha-carotene, while some think quite possibly both). Beta and alpha carotenes (and lutein a by-product of alpha carotene metabolism) are all antioxidants. These precursors exist in all grape varieties, thus TDN can be found in almost every wine, although the ratio of lutein to carotene is usually low, thus the TDN potential for most wines will be well under the perception threshold level of 20ppb. However, the ratio of beta carotene to lutein is higher in Riesling than for any other grape variety. If ,as most scientists believe, beta carotene is the primary precursor for TDN, this may explain why, after lengthy bottle-maturation, the wines from this variety can accumulate as much as 200ppb TDN, ten-times the perception level. This is why mature Riesling is famed for its so-called petrolly aroma.
TDN can also be produced by the hydrolysis of two megastigma-3,6,9-triols linked to a sugar molecule (Strauss et al, 1986) and it has been theorised that the hydrolysis of a sugar molecule called 2,6,10,10-tetramethyl-1-oxaspiro[4,5]dec-6-ene-2,8-diol can create TDN (Winterhalter, 1991; Silva Ferreira & Guedes de Pinho, 2004)”

Cheers !