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Vertical Tasting of Domaine Dirler-Cadé’s Sylvaner
featured, Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Alsace
, May 2016
One reason I never miss a chance to visit Jean Dirler and his family is that the Dirler-Cadé estate in Bergholtz makes outstanding wines from several different Alsace varieties. Its Sylvaner, a grape often treated as an afterthought in Alsatian wine-production circles, is especially noteworthy. I do not feel that I am exaggerating when I describe it as a world-class wine, and the fact that it ages extremely well is an added bonus.
Remembering Etienne Hugel
featured, France: Alsace
, Apr 2016
Etienne Hugel, the highly admired commercial director for Famille Hugel, died on April 8, at just 57. An ambassador of his family’s wines, as well as those of Alsace, Hugel left a lasting impression on all those he met throughout his travels around the world. He will be deeply missed.
Alsace: The 2014s and Late-Release 2013s
featured, France: Alsace
, Feb 2016
Alsace is home to the best Gewürztraminers on the planet, along with Rieslings and Pinot Gris that are among the finest anywhere. All three varieties also produce what are some of the world's most profound late-harvest sweet wines. Alsace's 2014 vintage is not going to be remembered as particularly memorable, but the more serious 2013 wines, most of which are bottled and released later, have turned out nicely.
Cellar Favorite: 1983 Léon Beyer Gewürztraminer Selection de Grains Nobles Quintessence
Cellar Favorites, France: Alsace
, Dec 2015
Léon Beyer is one of Alsace’s great names in wine, famously sticking over the years to a range of truly dry wines.
Cellar Favorite: 1998 Seppi Landmann Sylvaner Recolté en Vin de Glace
Cellar Favorites, France: Alsace
, Sep 2015
Landmann was an Alsatian producer known for thinking outside the box, and this wine is but an example (there were many more)...
Cellar Favorite: 2002 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile
Cellar Favorites, France: Alsace
, Jun 2015
Made from grapes culled from the Geisberg and Osterberg grand crus, Trimbach's Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile is believed by many wine lovers and experts all over the world to have only one problem. That is, having the even more mythical Riesling Clos Ste.Hune under the same family ownership, which fatally removes some of the spotlight from Frédéric Emile, undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest dry Rieslings.
Alsace 2012s and Early-Released 2013s
featured, France: Alsace
, Apr 2015
If I were banished to a desert island and allowed to bring an infinite supply of just one white wine, my pick would be a Riesling, either from Alsace or the Mosel. The only other white wine that would garner even a fleeting second thought would be an Alsatian Gewürztraminer, on account of its uniqueness and entertainment value.
Cellar Favorite: 1989 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune Vendages Tardives Hors Choix
Cellar Favorites, France: Alsace
, Mar 2015
What a treat it is to taste one of Alsace’s great all time wines! In fact, this is an especially rare bottling of Clos Ste. Hune in that it only came to be thanks to the particular nature of the 1989 vintage in Alsace, when Botrytis cinerea was rampant.
2011 and 2010 Alsace Wines
IWC, France: Alsace
, Nov 2012
Simply put, there is no countryside in the world I would rather live in permanently than Alsace's, and at one point in my life (about 15 years ago), I actually considered moving there for good
Alsace Update
IWC, France: Alsace
, Nov 2010
This year, for a number of reasons, I decided to taste Alsace wines chez moi instead of in Alsace.