TN : Alsace Vindag, 30th January 2012

These are my "very late" tasting notes from the Alsace Wine day tasting that was held on Monday 30th January 2012 at the Operaterrassen in Stockholm, Sweden.

Cave Jean Geiler

• Crement d'Alsace Brut Rose : (C)
• Grad Cru Wineck-Schlossberg Riesling 2008 : (B)
• Grand Cru Florimont Gewurztraminer 2010 : Burnt barley sugar, lemon (C+)

Domaines Schlumberger

• Grand Cru Saering Riesling 2007 : Citrus, minerals, smoky (C)
• Grand Cru Kesssler Gewurztraminer 2005 : Very sweet, lacking acidity (C)

Domaine Albert Mann

• Senteurs des Vignes 2010 : Bland (C)
• Riesling Cuvee Albert 2010 : Lemon, dry (C)
• Pinot Gris Cuvee Albert 2010 : Zingy (B)
• Pinot Noir Grand H 2009 : Strawberries, lean (C)
• Grand Cru Schlossberg Riesling 2010 : Citrus, minerals, long finish (B-)
• Grand Cru Furstentum Pinot Gris 2010 : (C+)
• Grand Cru Steingrubler Gewurztraminer 2009 : (C)

Domaine Gresser

• Pinot Blanc 2010, Saint-Andre : Floral,boring (C)
• Muscat d'Alsace 2010, Brandhof : Floral, minerals, fruity (C+)
• Pinot Noir 2010, Brandhof : Strawberry, thin, bone dry (C)
• Grand Cru Moenchenberg Riesling 2007 : (C)
• Grand Cru Wiebelsberg Riesling 2007 : Lots and lots of minerals (C)
• Grand Cru Kastelberg Riesling 2007 : Lime, minerals (C)

Kientz Rene Fils

• Riesling 2010 : (C)
• Gewurztraminer 2010 : (B)
• Grand Cru Winzerberg Riesling 2008 : Zingy lemon minerals (B)

S.A. Biecher

• Riesling 2009 : (C)
• Riesling Reserve 2008 : Zingy lime, lemon, minerals (C)
• Grand Cru Schoneberg Riesling 2010 : Lemon, lime, fruity, long finish (B)

Charles Wantz

• Muscat 2010, "M" Collection personnelle : (B)
• Pinot Gris "K" 2007  Collection personnelle : Minerals, boring (C)
• Gewurztraminer "O" 2006, Collection personnelle :Barley sugar, lacking acidity (C)

Domaine Michel Fonne

• Crement d'Alsace N.V. Rose : Dry, redcurrants, blackcurrant (B-)
• Pinot Noir 2008 "M" : Dry finish, fruity (C)
• Grand Cru Mambourg Riesling 2008 : (B)

Book : Vinguide Alsace, Per Warfvinge

This book is in Swedish but this doesn't stop it being an excellent small guide to the Alsace wine region.

The book describes the different grapes cultivated in Alsace, booking an appointment to visit a winery, how to read a wine label, the cru system, viticultural techniques, organic and biodynamics, sparkling wines, cycling through the region, and the history of the region. The last half of the book is dedicated to profiles of wineries in Alsace. All of this is packed into less than 200 pages and well worth it.

The book can be ordered direct from Per's website.

Website : Per Warfvinge

TN : Purple Angel 2008, Montes, Colchagua Valley, Chile

This wine is 92% Carmenere and 8% Petit Verdot. The wine spent 18 months in new French and American oak barrels. This wine received 93points from The Wine Advocate, 91 points from Wine Enthusiast, and 91 points from Wine Spectactor.

This wine was imported by Hjo Grosshandel AB.

Colour : Dark blackberry

Aroma : Milk chocolate, tobacco, spice, blackcurrant, blackberry, coconut

Taste : Blackcurrants, blackberry, green pepper, tobacco, coconut, toast

Alcohol : 15%

Price : 399 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 91142

Mark : B+

TN : Boom Boom! Syrah 2011, Charles Smith Wines, Columbia Valley, Washington State, USA

This wine is 100% Syrah. This wine was released in June 2012. The total acid: is 63, pH is 3.46, and there is no residual sugar. The grapes for this wine came from three vineyards. The Art den Hoed vineyard stretches for 250 acres over the south slope of the Rattlesnake Mountains in the Yakima AVA at 1300 feet elevation. The Milbrandt vineyard in the Wahluke Slope AVA, planted beginning in 1998 by the Milbrandt Family, is comprised of well-drained, sandy gravelly soils deposited by ancient glacial floods. The Weyns vineyard is located in the Snipes Mountain AVA in the heart of the Yakima Valley with slopes facing in all four cardinal directions and an elevation that ranges from 750 to 1300 feet. This wine was sealed with a screwcap.

This wine was imported by Handpicked Wines Sweden AB.

Colour : Dark blackberry

Aroma : Blueberry, raspberry, milk chocolate, white pepper, spice

Taste : Blackberry, plums, spice, white pepper on zingy finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 129 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 6714

Mark : B-

Website :  Charles Smith Wines

TN : Villa Antinori 2009, IGT, Marchesi Antinori, Tuscany, Italy

This wine is a blend of 55% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot och 5% Syrah. The harvested grapes were destemmed and given a soft pressing, and then fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. The fermentation began a day after the crush and lasted between five and seven days; skin contact, instead, continued for eight to twelve days. Fermentation temperatures never went above 28 degrees centigrade for the Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese grapes in order to favor the extraction of color and soft tannins. In the case of the Syrah and Merlot grapes, temperatures were held to a maximum of 25 degrees centigrade in order to preserve the aromatic character of the varieties. The young wines went through a complete malolactic fermentation in October and November and then went into 60 gallon French, Hungarian, and American oak barrels and aged for a period of twelve months. The wine was given a further eight months of bottle aging before release.

This wine was imported by Sigva AB.

Colour : Dark blackcurrant

Aroma : Oak, cherry, tobacco, plums, herbs, milk chocolate

Taste : Oak, cherries, plums, herbs, tobacco

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 139 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 2300

Mark : B

Website : Marchesi Antinori

TN : Weisser Burgunder Novemberlese 2011, Weingut Steininger, Niederösterreich , Austria

Weingut Steininger is situated in the wine growing village of Langenlois in the Kamptal Valley. This wine was sealed with a screwcap. This wijne was imported by Arvid Nordquist Vin och Sprithandel.

Colour : Straw

Aroma : Stone fruits, pear, honey, lemon

Taste : Stone fruits, honey, pear, lemon, bitter finish

Alcohol : 13.5%

Price : 95 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 91209

Mark : C

Website : Weingut Steininger