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FRANCE'S ALSACE
 We love visiting the small storybook villages along the ROUTE du VIN
in Alsace. The wines are amongst the world's best-kept secrets and this translates
into favorable pricing for those of us who enjoy DRINKING wine (as opposed to those who
are merely "collectors").
 | One trend which disturbs us, however. We've noticed
many wineries now seem to be making wines with a bit of residual sugar. We can only
imagine this is done in hopes of courting ever-more favorable reviews from some of the
major American wine writers, whom we've noticed are often oblivious to the sweetness in
these wines. As a result, we're finding increasingly higher levels of alcohol and
sugar in many of the wines of Alsace. That's fine for "show pieces", but
we want wines which we can drink (without having to fasten the seatbelt of the dining room
chair)! |
Each little town seems to be littered with wineries...small signs and display
windows beckon tourists to ring the doorbell and come inside for a "degustation"
(wine tasting). The region boasts more than 31,000 acres of vines and makes more
than 100 million bottles annually. As I noted above, this region is the best kept
secret in the vast world of wine. Quality, as in other areas, continues to improve.
Though Americans seem to identify the Gewürztraminer wine with Alsace, we drink far more
Pinot Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Gris on our visits there. The locals find the
Gewürztraminer too overwhelming for most foods, save for Munster or Livarot cheeses.
The Pinot Blanc or Sylvaner make for nice aperitifs, while good Muscat (and these
are usually fairly dry, by the way) pairs handsomely with asparagus starters. With the main plate,
we seem to enjoy the Tokay Pinot Gris or crisp, dry Rieslings. Though often more
costly than Sauternes, one can find stunning late-harvest wines which are called
"Vendanges Tardives" or "Selection de grains nobles".
Alsace should be an easier region to understand for Americans as this is one of
the few areas in France which tends to label its wine by the grape variety. You'll
frequently find the name of the village where the grapes were grown to be somewhere on the
wine label. Another feature to add to the confusion...there are some 50 villages
with "Grand Cru" status. This element indicates not only a superior
vineyard site, but regulations mandate smaller maximum yields as well as requiring higher
sugar levels or riper fruit. As production of grand cru status wines totals less
than 4% of the region's production, these are, of course, more costly. Further, only
Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat had been entitled to this lofty status.
In 2006 the INAO group awarded "Grand Cru" status to the
"lowly" Sylvaner grape in one small corner of northern Alsace.
 The region also produces a simple little blended table wine, called
Edelzwicker. This is usually made of odd lots and typically Sylvaner, Chasselas and
Pinot Blanc account for much of the blend. Apparently the name translates to
something like "the cellar garbage can". Happily, we've encountered a
number of these which are not at all trashy! You'll sometimes find these
little blends labeled as "Gentil" (we have one from Meyer-Fonne
presently that's superb!),
though this designation traditionally refers to wine made from a mixed-planting or
field-blended wine.
One little difficulty with the wines from this lovely region is that consumers
can't tell how sweet the wines are by looking at the label.
When you ask various producers about their wines, they often know the exact
number of grams-per-liter of residual sugar are in their wines, but this
information is rarely communicated on the label. Of course, balance is the
key, so a high acid wine with a modest amount of sweetness tastes drier than a
low acid wine with a small bit of sweetness.
Still, it would be helpful to know which wines are, in fact, dry. A
few estates are aware of this 'problem' and we hope they will work to solve this
riddle.
Some Alsatian Wines
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MARTIN SCHAETZEL
- This
small domaine is run by Professor Jean Schaetzel and his wife Béa.
He's a wine school teacher in the nearby village of Rouffach.
But it's not a school for beginners...it's a graduate school for people who
are already winemakers. That should give you an indication of this
fellow's credentials.
Jean took over for his uncle Martin who had run the property for a number of
years.
They're located in Ammerschwihr and have about 11.2 hectares of vineyards (6.4 of their own, 4.8 being rented). The vineyards are
tended using organic farming practices.
We especially like the Schaetzel's 2005 Pinot Blanc, a dry white wine with a
lovely apple-like aroma and mildly crisp finish. No oak.
Lots of fruit in this vintage.
Schaetzel's 2005 Riesling is dry and with a floral note and a faint
minerally note. It gets our vote as the "Best Buy" in dry
French Riesling presently.
The 2004 vintage of Gewürztraminer
is significantly more intense than many of its competitors in this
"entry level" price range. It's magnificent, in fact.
I was at a trade tasting of some more famed producer's "reserve"
(about $35) Gewürztraminer and I'd rather drink Schaetzel's, regardless of
the price differential.
We visited Schaetzel in the summer of 2007 and tasted a number of wines from
the 2006 vintage. We tasted a few of the same wine from the fine 2005
vintage alongside the difficult 2006s...I found many of the 2006s were
splendid, testimony to Jean Schaetzel's talents as a winemaker.
- Currently in stock: 2005 Pinot Blanc $12.99
2005 Riesling $14.99
2004 Gewürztraminer $16.99
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DOMAINE EMILE BOECKEL
 Emile
Boeckel is an old family-run estate in the northern reaches of Alsace.
I remember my dad used to stock wines from this property back in the Dark
Ages when Bay Area wine drinkers only knew Hugel and Trimbach as the
sources for wine from Alsace. The Boeckels made good wine and the
prices were fair. Some things don't change!
The family owns about 20 hectares of vineyards and they buy grapes from an
equal number of hectares. Emile Boeckel is the patriarch of the
estate and his sons Jean-Daniel and Thomas run the
place.
The winery is a curious maze of uneven floors and galleries. If you
know the "Winchester Mystery House" here in the Bay Area, then you
might call this Alsace's "Wine-chester Mystery Winery."
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You'll find bins and bins of unlabeled bottles. Back in the late
1950s Boeckel built a track around the entire cellar with these little
"baskets" to carry bottles to the labeling machine. Modern
when it was installed, it's a charming relic of the past.
- The French
wines made of the Sylvaner variety are usually pretty close to Evian water
in terms of character and complexity.
Yet the Boeckels manage to make
an amazingly good wine from their Sylvaner vineyards. One secret is
the vines are old. A second part of the equation is that the vineyard
site is in a "Grand Cru" location, except that Sylvaner has not
been viewed as a "noble" variety. It had not been able to be sold as a "Grand
Cru" wine! This changed recently and starting with the 2005
vintage, Boeckel will offer a "Grand Cru Zotzenberg"
Sylvaner. Get your wallet ready, because surely this means an
escalation in price.
When you open a bottle of the "Vieilles Vignes" Sylvaner from
Boeckel, you immediately will inhale a fragrance that can only be from
Alsace. This is what people refer to when speaking about terroir.
This wine has plenty of it! There's a minerality and spice tone that is
magnificent. We currently have the 2004 vintage in stock and it's most
sensibly-priced at $14.99. The wine is predominantly from their
Zotzenberg vineyard, the newly-designated Grand Cru site.
Wait 'til it says "Grand Cru" on the
bottle...then you'll be paying serious money.
Jean Daniel Boeckel explaining the 'secrets' of Sylvaner.
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A new vintage of Riesling is unusually good. The wine is quite dry and
shows a lovely minerally, stony character along with some ripe
pineapple-like fruit notes. The price ought to be most attractive to
those who know a bargain when they taste one.
- Currently in stock: 2004 Sylvaner "Vieilles Vignes"
$14.99
2004 Riesling $12.99
- VALENTIN ZUSSLIN
 We
had a couple of days for "research" in Alsace and had seen a
mention of an intriguing and relatively unknown domaine called Valentin
Zusslin. The property is a small, 13 hectare, family-operated estate
in Orschwihr.
Most of their vineyards are situated within the Bollenberg region, a
limestone soil that is ideal for Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer.
The family traces its origins back to 1691 and today you'll find three
generations of the Zusslins working in the vineyards and in the cellar.
Jean-Marie, his daughter Marie and son Jean-Paul, converted the vineyards to
biodynamic farming in the 1990s. This is a noble work, to be
sure. The idea is to cultivate the vines in a responsible fashion,
making the vineyards healthier and naturally resistant to disease.
They make a full range of wines, from sparkling Cremant d'Alsace to table
wines and into the range of sticky and sweet. We found a number of
nice wines here and picked up a couple of bottles to bring back to San
Francisco for tasting.
Valentin Zusslin Riesling with a home-made vegetable terrine.
At the present time we have but one wine in the shop. It's the 2005
Muscat d'Alsace "Cuvée Marie." This is made entirely of the
Muscat Ottonel and it displays a wonderful perfume and plenty of
charm. The wine seems rather dry on the palate, with nice intensity
and length...the finish lingers, without the wine being heavy or
ponderous.
We also have some bottles of the outstanding 2004 Riesling "Clos
Liebenberg." This comes from a site adjacent to the grand cru
"Pfingstberg." The wine is stony and minerally with lots of
floral elements. It's quite intense and is not a simple, little
'care-free' sort of Riesling. It demands to be paired with good
food...
Additional selections will be available shortly...once Bob and Ellen have a
chance to taste them.
Jean-Marie and his daughter Marie.
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Currently in stock: 2005 VALENTIN ZUSSLIN Muscat
d'Alsace $19.99
2004 VALENTIN ZUSSLIN Riesling "Clos Liebenberg" SALE
$34.99
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MEYER-FONNÉ
 A small domaine in the
town of Katzenthal, François & Félix Meyer farm something like eleven hectares of
vineyards. While not biodynamic, they are moving in the
direction of organically-farmed vineyards.
They make a full range of wines, including a Cremant d'Alsace.
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Meyer-Fonné's 2006 "Gentil" is a good margin better than most
vintner's basic, entry-level Edelzwicker wines. (Meyer Fonne now offers
an Edelzwicker, too, but we found the Gentil to be more satisfying.)
This designation
allows winemakers to cull out lower quality fruit, over-production, etc. and
offer something inexpensive and drinkable. Tasting this 2006 Gentil,
you would not imagine this wine was some sort of second tier bottling.
It's amazingly good, in fact, and superior to many estate's basic varietal
wines.
The 2006 Gentil has a foundation of Muscat and Pinot Blanc, with a small
percentages of Riesling and Gewürztraminer. The wine is dry and
light, but quite flavorful. It's a perfect aperitif wine.
The 2006 Riesling is also quite good...nice and dry with some minerally and
floral tones...nice as a cocktail white and it pairs well with Asian-styled
seafoods...
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François, Nicole and their son, Felix.
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The next winemaking generation.
- Currently in stock:
2003 Gewürztraminer Sold Out
2006 Riesling $24.99
2006 "Gentil" $15.99
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- HUGEL et Fils
 This family-operation turns out about a million bottles annually. Their
wines, along with their large competitors, the Trimbach family, can be found all around
the world.
As with a winery such as Robert Mondavi, the modest-quality wines are, at
least, well-made and periodically rise above that level. They launched a new tier of
wines, designated "Jubilee" and these are of greater interest. The winery
has been making some outstanding Vendange Tardive wines, but have your credit card ready
as these are not cheap.
We have access to many of their wines, so special ordering something is not
a problem!
- Currently available: 2001 Riesling $17.99
- 2001 Gewürztraminer $18.99
2001 Pinot Blanc $7.99 (375ml)
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- ROLAND SCHMITT
 Monsieur Schmitt was a charming an engaging fellow, a brilliant
winegrower and winemaker. He was tragically killed in an auto accident a few
years ago, but his widow, Anne-Marie, carries on in this northern outpost in Alsace.
She is now ably assisted by her son -
The wines here are quite dry and, perhaps, a shade minerally. The domaine covers
some 10 hectares, the highlights coming from the grand cru Altenberg de Bergbieten.
A new cellar is on the drawing board, which will allow for more gentle
handling of the wines, especially via gravity flow. Vineyard practices
are heading in the direction of organic farming.
We are most happy with a splendid Muscat Glintzberg from the 2002
vintage. This is a wonderfully aromatic wine that suggests
"sweet" on the nose, but surprises the palate by being bone
dry. It is a lovely cocktail white or pair it with Asian
cuisine. And it's most reasonably priced.
Click Here to see My
Lunch With Anne Marie.
- Currently available: 2002 Muscat Glintzberg Sold Out
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- TRIMBACH
- I
 've rarely been impressed by the wines of this large Ribeauville property, so I'm
curious to know if something's changed lately or are the vintages just better?
Their
famous and fabulously expensive Clos Sainte-Hune Riesling is highly regarded in some
quarters. Perhaps I am just ignorant, but I've purchased a few bottles (and they're
now well upwards of $50) and never been awed (by the wine. Only it's price tag has been
awesome to me!).
I recently tasted a very nice Pinot Gris and was, frankly,
pleasantly surprised by the intensity of this lovely wine. This shows
some improvement in their wines, in my view. I know the wines are
highly regarded, so perhaps I need to do a bit more, uh, research!
 The
Cuvée Frédéric Émile from the 2003 vintage is quite dry and
minerally. Think of a streak of lime and stones amidst a floral
bouquet. The wine is starting to blossom and will probably remain on a
plateau for another 5-8+ years. Maybe longer.
- Currently available: 2002 Riesling $18.99
- 2002 Pinot Gris $19.99
- Gewürztraminer $16.99
2003 Pinot Blanc $13.99
2003 Cuvée Frédéric Émile $43.99
We also have several Trimbach-labeled eaux-de-vie, so if you'd like a
bottle of Prunelle Sauvage, Framboise or Poire Williams,
we typically have 'em.
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- ALBERT BOXLER
 Young
Jean Boxler and his wife Sylvie run the show at the family estate these days
in Niedermorschwihr, a bit off the beaten path on Alsace's Route du Vin.
The domaine now encompasses some 13 hectares and averages about 60,000
bottles annually. The wines at this estate always are a wonderful
reflection of the vineyard and the vintage. When we've asked about the
style of their wines, the response is usually "that's what the vintage
produced." The wines are left to ferment at their own pace...Jean
doesn't work to craft the wines to a particular level of sweetness, for
example. "When it stops fermenting, it's finished." he
explains. As a result, a hot vintage such as 2003 tended to yield
wines with more sugar in them than cooler years like 2002.
The Boxler wines are not easy to find in the United States. Of course,
production is relatively small. -
Jean Boxler
Jean Boxler with the Sommerberg vineyard in the background.
We have a sensational 2002 Riesling in stock from the Grand Cru
vineyard of Sommerberg. This is what Alsatian Riesling is all about.
It's fairly dry and steely-edged, with floral notes on the nose and a minerality
that's pure on the palate. It is one of those wines that demonstrates
precisely why Riesling is such a stellar grape variety.
A Pinot Gris from 2002 is also very fine. Here you'll encounter a hint of
spice and baked apple notes on the nose. It is fairly dry, but not austere
on the palate.
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Currently in stock: 2002 Pinot Gris $32.99
2002 Riesling "Grand Cru Sommerberg" Sold Out
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 MORE VINS d'ALSACE
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