Alsace Riesling can be very special indeed. Here are some highlights from the Millesimes Alsace tasting yesterday here in Colmar. Some more to follow tomorrow.

Weinbach Riesling Schlossberg Grand Cru 2015 Alsace
This is amazing. From granitic soils. Bright, taut and linear with a stony, mineral edge to the palate, which is tight and lean with lovely acidity and an almost saline character. Such precision and linearity, and real length. 95/100

Biecher & Schaal Riesling Grand Cru Rosacker 2015 Alsace
This is from a pure limestone terroir in the middle of the Clos Ste Hune in Hunawhir. Julien Schaal’s 2015s are an amazing set of wines, but this has the slight edge for me. It has some depth but also tightwound, lemony fruit. 70 year old vines have produced a mineral, textural wine with nice acidity and purity. 94/100

Schlumberger Riesling Grand Cru Kitterlé 2012 Alsace
From volcanic soils. Taut, complex, linear and stony with bright citrus fruit to the fore. Very stony and focused with great concentration and purity. I just love the taut finesse of this wine, which is pure and dry. 95/100

Dirler-Cadé Riesling Grand Cru Kessler 2013 Alsace
From a very consistent biodynamic producer, this is a lovely wine. It’s really aromatic, lemony and pure with some wax and nut characters under the fruit. The palate has ripe apples, pears and nuts, and it’s really distinctive, mineral and intense. 94/100

Pierre Henri Ginglinger Riesling Grand Cru Ollwiller 2013 Alsace
This producer is new to me, and I was so impressed by the wines. Fermented in large oak casks, this has a stony, mineral, appley nose that’s really focused with some waxy hints. The palate is lively and focused with lovely depth and texture. Stony, fine and mineral with really good concentration. 94/100

Josmeyer Riesling Grand Cru Hengst 2001 Alsace (magnum)
This was a treat: a Riesling with some maturity on it. Complex, nutty, waxy nose with spuce, citrus and a bit of toast. So expressive and textural on the palate with white peach, lemons, minerals and wax. Very detailed, quite mature, but very fine too. 95/100

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