I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I have never been to Alsace. The odd thing is, I really love Alsace wines. So why haven’t I been?
Anyway, here’s a spread of different bottles, reflecting some of the different varieties grown in the region. All were pretty good, with the Riesling and Muscat the standouts.
Kuentz-Bas Pinot Blanc 2008 Alsace
12.5% alcohol. Lively and fruity with apple and citrus notes on the nose. The palate has some sweet, fresh apple fruit and a hint of honeyed sweetness. Fresh fruit dominates. 87/100
Leon Beyer Sylvaner 2010 Alsace
12% alcohol. Deliciously crisp and lively with citrus and pear fruit, and a bit of spiciness. Full-on fruity style with good acid and some pithy notes. Dry finish. 88/100 (£7.95 The Wine Society)
Domaines Schlumberger Riesling Grand Cru Saering 2007 Alsace
12.5% alcohol. Real intensity of flavour here in this dry Alsace Riesling. Taut, mineral and intense with fresh lemony fruit and subtle honeyed notes. It’s a bit pithy, yet retains elegance. Precise, attractive and gastronomic with good ageing potential. 93/100 (£18.95 Slurp.co.uk, L’Art du Vin)
Albert Mann Muscat 2009 Alsace
12.5% alcohol. Beautifully aromatic and just off-dry with a hint of sweetness backing up the lively grapey fruit. This isn’t as obvious as some Muscats, and has some nice spice and herb notes on the finish. 89/100
Find these wines with wine-searcher.com
3 Comments on Time for some Alsace wines
Re ‘why haven’t I been to Alsace’. Given your travels etc, it seems difficult to add extra stuff in!? Perhaps more tellingly it points to the Alsace region not seeing the UK as an important Market and therefore not investing money taking journos from the Uk to visit ? I would also love to go at some point – probably on a cycling/foodie/wino trip !
Hello Simon – we started looking after the generic PR for Alsace at the beginning of this year and tried to take Jamie on a Press trip in July. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make the dates so we will definitely be taking him out there next year. Emma