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Spotlight on Alsace: Marc Tempe Rodelsberg 2005

March 29, 2011 By Shea Leave a Comment

There is an irony to be found in Alsace in the wines of Marc Tempe. Tempe has signed on fully to Nicolas Joly’s Rennaissance des Appellations group that supports an intense kind of biodynamics with a high level of commitment. The irony comes with the similarity of Tempe’s wines to those of Marcel Deiss, which seem the closest in Alsace in spirit, if not in stated philosophy. Deiss, remember, has famously declared that he detests Nicolas Joly for his dogmatic adherence to biodynamics. Detestation and degustation are closely related it seems.

Blended Goodness

Tempe is a fan of blending, like Deiss, and this particular wine blends 25% Pinot Gris in with 75% Gewurztraminer. Tempe also ferments his wines in oak, on the lees of indigenous yeasts and without sulpher. The result here is both extremely impressive and extremely interesting.

The nose has a nice rich richness with flowers and rich tropical fruit, undoubtedly from the Gewurztraminer – but it also isn’t oppressive in its opulence like 100% Gewurztraminer can be. The palate presents banana and pineapple, is very juicy and exceptionally balanced. The wine finishes dry and extremely delicious with a bit of chalky minerality that rounds it out well.

This unique blended wine is better than most Gewrztraminer and Pinot Gris as you find them on their own in Alsace as it draws very well from the strengths of both grapes while minimizing their weaknesses. Tempe is a great winemaker doing untraditional things. If you like a lot of character in your wines but prefer them on the drier side then tempe may be for you. It helps that Tempe seems surprisingly atempo with Deiss, who should theoretically be his arch enemy.

Excellent
$55 at Everything Wine

Filed Under: $40-$60, Alsace, Excellent, French Wine, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris/Grigio

Spotlight on Alsace: Domaine Weinbach Gewurztraminer Furstentum “Clos des Capocins” Cuvée Laurence 2004

February 9, 2011 By Shea Leave a Comment

The name Weinbach is synonymous with both very high quality and very high prices. Weinbach has been directly responsible for me resdiscovering a number of Alsatian varieties like Muscat and Pinot Gris that I never thought I could enjoy. As such they do hold a special place in my heart. That said, sometimes I am concerned that the price of entry is so high.

A Special Grand Cru Vineyard

This Domaine Weinbach Gewurztraminer finds its way into the bottle from grapes grown in the famous Clos des Capocins vineyards situated between the towns of Kientzheim and Sigolsheim, just south of the Grand Cru Schlossberg in Furstentum. Unlike Albert Mann’s Furstentum Gewurztraminer, the Clos des Capocins vineyards are on a lower elevation portion of the vineyard that Weinbach thinks produces particularly special wine. It is not only a special vineyard but is the heart of the Domaine where the family house and occupants reside.

Opulence and Finesse

Whether it is the site or the winemaking, this Gewurztraminer is a decided step above the Albert Mann Grand Cru. The wine offers a complete explosion of tropical fruit aromas like pineapple, guava and grapefruit. The complexity of the palate is extremely impressive and, despite the massive fruit and opulence, there is a fair amount of minerality present. Balanced and extremely expressive, the wine somehow combines huge opulence with subtlety and finesse.

Excellent
$90 at Marquis

Filed Under: $60+, Alsace, Excellent, French Wine, Gewurztraminer

Spotlight on Alsace: Albert Mann Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Furstentum Vieilles Vignes 2008

February 6, 2011 By Shea 2 Comments

Soils and Style

The calcerous soils of Alsace’s Furstentum Grand Cru, part of the Haut-Rhin or upper river valley, seem to make wines of particularly velour lusciousness. Albert Mann is a small organic producer making excellent wines at pretty reasonable prices for such illustrious sites. While there are 50 Grand Crus in Alsace and criticisms that some are less deserving than others, the Furstentum Grand Cru is amongst the better crus in Alsace.

Alsace has an image problem. The increasing sweetness levels in the wine are impossible to discern on label alone. You have to know the producer. Some might never realize that wine makers like Trimbach are making lean and austere wines in Alsace. Richness and opulence are certainly becoming the norm in the region. Albert Mann is decidedly in the latter camp, though I think he manages to eke sufficient balance from his wines so that they do not become overly gloppy. And Mann is certainly not amongst the insipid inexpensive Alsatian wines that populate the shelves – more than many regions cheap-o Alsatian wines should be avoided.

The Wine

At first nose, this wine presents beautiful perfumed lychee nut and jasmine with considerable elegance and purity. Floral, light, deft – this is a very pretty wine.

This wine is more like drinking a bed of flowers than most any other I’ve had from Alsace far. This is both a good and a bad trait as the wine’s flavourfulness can give way to one-dimensionality at times. For such a high-level site, I feel this lacks the level of complexity, finesse and balance that Weinbach or Zind-Humbrecht offers, but it is a very good wine nonetheless. And, at nearly ½ the price.

Very Good+
$46 at Marquis

Filed Under: $40-$60, Alsace, Excellent, French Wine, Gewurztraminer

Domaine Weinbach Gewurztraminer Cuvée Théo 2006

June 6, 2009 By Shea Leave a Comment

I am no connoisseur of Gewurztaminer, only having been mildly unimpressed by several inexpensive offerings in the past. This wine changed my perceptions of what G-wine can achieve. With this bottle Weinbach suggests to me the underappreciated beauty of Alsatian wine.

Pouring a rich apple yellow in the glass, this smelled like burnt hay, caramel, and grapefruit. The palate was very deep and full and was somewhat like biting into a candy-apple laced with grapefruit jam and drizzled with caramel. The beautiful off-dryness balances the sweetness and acidity to crisply suggest freshness while not sacrificing the intensity of the rich fruit flavours. In the end this is a flexed wine, with a muscled finish. Highly recommended.

Excellent
$65 ($45 on sale) at BCLDB

Filed Under: $60+, Excellent, French Wine, Gewurztraminer, Highly Recommended Values