66- 68 Nonnenholzweg (Par Rue des
Aubepines), 68000 Colmar, France
Tel: +33 (0)3 89 24 41 14
I'm going through a bit of an Alsace phase at the moment, so I was
interested to try this range from Schoffit at the Decanter Rising
stars tasting. I have to admit to coming away a tad disappointed,
though: while these wines are mostly very good, they lack that
piercing minerality and sense of place shared by many of the very best
Alsatians. Part of this may have to do with the tricky nature of the
1999 vintage (which most of these wines were from); it might also be a
style issue. A major frustration was that the wines were being kept on
ice (not just in an ice bucket, but submerged in a mixture of water
and ice, which is by far the most efficient method of chilling
bottles), and were at approximately 2 °C! Now I have no problem being
served a glass of chilled Chardonnay in a bistro on a hot day, when it
has time to warm up a bit in the glass, but at a wine tasting with
serious wines it's ridiculous. It is very difficult to assess wines
properly when they are freezing cold. For this reason I'd have to
reserve judgement on some of these wines; I'd like to try them again
under different, more favourable circumstances. Nil points, Heyman
Barwell Jones (UK agents for these wines).
Chasselas 1999 Cuvée Caroline Vieilles Vignes
Chasselas isn't too common in Alsace, but this is an impressive
effort. The floral, slightly spicy nose leads to a dry, crisp palate
with good flavour. This would make a good food wine. Very good
Riesling 1999 Cuvée Caroline
Fresh lemony nose. Lively palate has racy acidity and a touch of
residual sugar. Very good.
Pinot Blanc 1999 Cuvée Caroline
A lovely rich wine in a slightly sweeter style; spicy and full.
Good/very good
Muscat Cuvée Tradition 1999
Nice grapey perfumed nose. It's actually quite a rich style, with
some residual sugar. Very good
Gewürztraminer Cuvée Caroline Harth 1998
Deeper coloured, this has a highly perfumed floral nose. The
palate is fat and a bit sickly, with sweet lychee flavours.
Interesting but a bit odd. Very good
Riesling Grand Cru Rangen Clos St Théobald 1999
Deep yellow/gold colour with a sweet honeyed nose. The palate is
soft, ripe, grapey and very forward. It's reasonably complex, but I'm
not keen on the style. Very good
Tokay Pinot Gris Grand Cru Rangen Clos St Théobald 1999
Deep yellow/gold colour. The grapey, spicy, slightly smoky nose
leads to a rich, concentrated, sweet palate. A bit unbalanced for my
palate, but still very good.
Tokay Pinot Gris Grand Cru Rangen Clos St Théobald 1998,
Selection des Grains Nobles
Deep gold colour with a sweet spicy nose. The palate is huge and
very sweet, with intense, complex flavours and enormous residual
sugar. Possibly just a bit too rich and sweet? Very good+
Tasted May 2001 at the Decanter
Rising Stars Fine Wine Encounter