German & Alsatian Whites (Any Vintage)

This month we ventured out and went to my mother-in-law’s new Mexican restaurant with a theme of German & Alsatian wines. Jason Hagen is the mastermind behind the tastings, and he led us thru the wines as we ate nachos and cheese, tostadas with lomo, crispy fish tacos, chicken enchiladas in red sauce, and chile rellenos.

My take on the wines….

My favorite of the whites, and the group favorite as well, was the 02 Trimbach Pinot Gris “Reserve Ribeauville”. Good acidity with subtle fruit and minerality. Subtle alongside some of the other Pinot Gris today, but well balanced and able to stand on its own with the food (which was not spicy spicy). 92

The 04 Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris “Rotenberg” was my and one of the group’s second place whites. It was entirely different from the Trimbach. From the color, it looked like a much older wine, almost amber. On the palate, RS, tropical fruit flavors, including coconut. My only complaint about this wine was a somewhat short finish. Good balance here, despite the RS that could have been off-putting. 89

The 05 Domain Ostertag Sylvaner “Vieilles Vignes” didn’t get many votes, but it was tied for me for my second place white. Very dry, with an inviting nose. Smooth on the palate, though I think it lacked a bit of acidity that would have propped up the fruit and made this show much better. Brought by Ki Punwar, who joined us for the first, but hopefully not the last, time. 89

The 02 Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris “Rotenberg” was tied for second place for the group among the whites. It was lighter in color than its 04 sister, and showed more RS and lots of tropical fruit. That extra RS put this down a notch for me, but it was still quite nice. 88

Also tied for second place among the whites by the group was the 05 Dr. Loosen Riesling Spatlese "Erdener Treppchen". Very sauternes like, a better as a dessert wine, in my opinion, than a savory food wine. The waitresses, who don’t drink wine, loved it when I gave them the remainder of the bottle. 88

There were some other wines (2004 Protocolo, 05 Dr. Loosen Riesling Spatlese "Graacher Himmelreich”), but the WOTD was not a white, but a mystery red, brought by Jason. We always have at least one bagged wine that someone brings and then everyone goes thru an interative `game’ to see if we can identify the wine.

The mystery red, and the overwhelming first place choice among all the wines, was……drumroll…. 2003 Eagle Point Ranch Coro, which is a Zin-dominant blend. Great balance, nice aromatics, spicy fruit and nice acidity to carry thru to the finish. A very very tasty bottle. Casey Hartlip has reason to be very proud of this wine.

These intimate and focused tastings (we were 7 persons yesterday) are a great way to compare wines. There is enough time to go back and retaste, few enough wines to be able to do that, and also enough time for the wines to develop, if they are going to do so. And some great folks to share a meal with. Without their fellowship, these lunches would not be the same.

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Cheers, Jim

TASTING FOR JUNE 21, 2007

Theme: German & Alsatian Whites (Any Vintage)
Tasted: Non-Blind
Mystery "Red": Jason
Place: Las Brisas
Time: 1:15
Misc: Bring stems!

The Line Up
Hage - Mystery Red #1

Ki - 2005 Domain Ostertag Sylvaner "VV"

Dietz - 2002 Trimbach Pinot Gris "Reserve Ribeauville"

Hage - 2002 Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris "Rotenberg"

Matt - 2004 Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris "Rotenberg"

Hage - Mystery Red #2

DJ - 2005 Dr. Loosen Riesling Spatlese "Erdener Treppchen"

Mel - 2005 Dr. Loosen Riesling Spatlese "Graacher Himmelreich"

Robo Cop? -