There is something about attending one’s first Wine Blogger’s Conference, aside from the instant camaraderie—that irreplaceable sense that you are in a room full of people who get what it is that you are doing, or attempting to do on a very deep level—in addition, there are a multitude of sessions for attendees to choose from. Among them, my favorite was a presentation on Alsatian Riesling, a category I admit to having woefully limited experience in, but one that I enjoyed if only to compare them to the Finger Lakes Rieslings we sampled throughout the weekend.
Alsatian vineyards lie within a narrow band, running north-south along an ancient geologic fault line. Sheltered by the Vosges Mountains on the west and are hemmed in by the Rhine River on the east, vines benefit from the rain shadow, and the region is known for long, dry autumns, with an average of around 1,800 hours of sunlight during the growing season. Aside from this, Alsace is one of the most geologically diverse wine growing regions worldwide. Its 51 Grand Crus make up an intricate patchwork quilt of varying soil types and micro-climates—volcanic soils, schist and decomposed granite found on steep mountain slopes merge and meld into limestone and marl. Farther down along the Plaine d’Alsace alluvial soils rich in clay and gravel can be found.
As a general rule, granite an schist soils produce Rieslings with characteristic smoke, petrol and gunflint aromas. Whereas heavy clay and marl soils lend weight, unctuousness and intense stone fruit or even tropical fruit character.
This particular lineup was meant to illustrate the progression in Alsatian Riesling from bone dry, with tightly-wound acidity and racy overtones of citrus, to one that is richer and rounder, expressing tropical notes and ample weight, as can be seen in the Barmès Buecher.
Zind-Humbrecht Vin d’Alsace Riesling 2013
Zind-Humbrecht has been producing wine since the 15th century, no surprise, they’ve perfected the art of coaxing the best out of Alsatian Riesling. Pale straw and limpid, with delicate notes of pink grapefruit, white flowers and wet gravel and a faint, ascending note of kerosene. It’s medium-bodied and rounder than one might expect, nevertheless, the impression is one of dryness (despite 5g/l residual sugar) and pithy tartness, orange rind and shale. 12.5% ABV Sample | 9.1 Points
Schoenheitz Vin d’Alsace Herrenreben Riesling 2010
With lilting notes of lychee, wet stones, ginger and white flowers, the 2010 Schoenheitz Vin D’ Alsace Herrenreben Riesling offers excellent value for money. It’s medium-bodied and bright, expressive and markedly fresh, and the finish is mouthwatering and quite long, tinged with lemon zest and oyster shell. This graceful Riesling has a long life ahead of it, perhaps 20 years or more. 12.0% ABV Sample | 9.0 Points
Barmès Buecher Rosenberg Riesling 2010
Barmès Buecher practicies biodynamic farming, and this fine example, the 2012 Rosenberg Riesling was grown in deep clay-limestone soils. The result is a wine that is full and rich in its comportment, with expansive tropical notes: papaya, cling peaches, and spice. And as the nose suggests, it’s quite viscous and slightly oily in the mouth, albeit nicely balanced by moderate acidity and meandering flavors of apricot skins, subtle earthiness, fleur de sel and lemon thyme. 13.0% ABV Sample | 9.1 Points