WOW-2002 Trimbach Riesling (Alsace)

[waves2ya]

Least newbies think 'cupbearer' status can't be passed to them, Coop has requested I 'pimp up a wine'; so, for your consideration...

Trimbach 2002 Riesling

We've a few recent notes on whites in the forum - however I've found Alsatian Riesling's a bizarre endeavor stateside. This 12%'r seems a pretty capable reference....

"The house of Trimbach is based in the famous village of Ribeauvillé on the "Route des Vins" in Alsace..." (blurb)

Hope you'll agree; should be about US$14...

Bon vin!

[Rebel Rose]

Exciting choice, waves! It will be nice to try a white after several reds. I'm off to see if I can find one locally. . .

[LEdlund]

This will be fun. I have had this wine many times but only as part of the Falling Leaves cocktail. At least I know it is readily available in Seattle!

[suzilightning]

cool - one i actually can get and do have in my cellar right now.

now what to serve with it hmmmmmmm.......

[BrentKulman]

Looks like I'm out in front this time after almost missing the deadline with the Planeta la Segreta.

Here goes ---

Pours a pale straw yellow body. Somewhat viscous, leaving some decent legs dangling down the side of the glass.

Apricots, lemons, honeysuckle and other floral scents on the nose.

Initially, the taste is full of light citrus fruit, primarily lemon, and mineral flavors but that is rapidly overwhelmed by crisp acidity, with increasing sour lemon notes into the finish. Just leaves you puckering.

I suspect there might be some food that goes well with this, but I have always thought of dry rieslings as more of an aperatif wine. I'd love to have something to eat with this that might cut down the acidity.

Over time, I would also expect that the acidity will become less overwhelming.

In any event, riesling is not my favorite varietal and I rarely buy them, so it was fun having a look at a grape style I rarely consume.

Edited January 23, 2005 by Brent Kulman (log)

[M. Lucia]

My first time posting in the wine forum, as I am a wine young'un.

I have always enjoyed Trimbach's Guwurtztraminer (my mom always served it with turkey or roast chicken), so I tried their riesling. I enjoy a dry riesling, and really enjoyed this one.

It was wonderful with mussels (even more so if you cook the mussels with the riesling), but I know a standard pairing is with Chinese food.

[little ms foodie]

I just found this today but it is a 2001. Is it ok if I still say a bit after we drink it tonight??

[waves2ya]

I just found this today but it is a 2001. Is it ok if I still say a bit after we drink it tonight??

←

As the host of this bi-weekly libation, god yes - have you seen the replies on this thread?! Not exactly over whelming...

Have noticed, rather chagrinningly, that Rieslings (hopefully everyone knows this is an Alsacion) are not well favored, or, difficult to pair. Let me say - as one who's never waxed poetic about white wine - that I have been served more Alsacion Rieslings in French households with fish, than anything else. It is a go to wine when folks who might be tempted to drink a Chinon or a Brouilly decide "... it's time for white." (disclaimer: French wife, French family; yes, I am the proverbial fish out of water)

Now - whether the board this Riesling is up to the standard is another thing (tho' I can side with Mr. Kulman's review however I don't find the acidity he does).

Enuf pimping...

[little ms foodie]

Great!

Well we paired it with our little Asian Feast which was very nice, none of the food was spicy so it worked great for the Alsacian Riesling which is much drier than most. I liked it.

It's very pale in color, much lighter than straw. Immediately I got hints of subtle floral. Nice balance of sugar and acidity. This wine would be very easy to put with different foods. It's very light, both in the taste and the alcohol.

My husband says that he likes it slightly warm vs. cold (as we serve most whites but most don't hold up to the room temp). He thought it had a hint of lemongrass in the flavor but that could be the food pairings!

[chefbrendis]

greetings-

Trimbach Riesling 2002

Food pairings wise, think poached oysters, or raw with a bit of the wine used to make a nice gelee. Briny oysters and the acid notes on the somewhat truncated finish make a very nice combination. Secondly, try it with foie gras, especially a preparation using a soft acid component, aged vinegar, for example. Thirdly, fried stuff with mayonnaise. I'm a big proponent of fried stuff with mayonnaise,, but the ability of the wine to cut through the richness makes a nice foil.

[Rebel Rose]

As the host of this bi-weekly libation, god yes - have you seen the replies on this thread?!  Not exactly over whelming...

Sorry, waves, I haven't found the bottle. I looked at Silverlake Wines and Wades Wines in Los Angeles. Didn't have time to make it the Red Carpet. I was amazed that out of Wades' huge selection, he only carried three rieslings. Huh. They didn't even warrant a whole shelf. Maybe I can pick up one up at Equus in Seattle this week. I'm traveling a lot this month, but I'll keep looking!

[little ms foodie]

As the host of this bi-weekly libation, god yes - have you seen the replies on this thread?!  Not exactly over whelming...

Sorry, waves, I haven't found the bottle. I looked at Silverlake Wines and Wades Wines in Los Angeles. Didn't have time to make it the Red Carpet. I was amazed that out of Wades' huge selection, he only carried three rieslings. Huh. They didn't even warrant a whole shelf. Maybe I can pick up one up at Equus in Seattle this week. I'm traveling a lot this month, but I'll keep looking!

←

In Seattle they carry it at Pete's on Eastlake. I actually found it at a QFC here, not in the Riesling section but in the France section.

[DTBarton]

I've long been a big fan of Alsace wines (some have said that the wines are called Alsace and an Alsatian is a dog). I believe they provide the best price/quality ratio because they are not particularly popular (not made with Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc grapes) with American palates. Also, many Americans are put off by the sometimes oily, or glycerine like consistency. Me, I love it!

If you like the Trimbach Reislings, try some of the other moderately priced producers like Pierre Sparr and Domaine Weinbach. I've found these producers to be very consistent, i.e. you don't have to fret too much over vintages. Try some of the other grapes as well. Alsace pinot gris is the French version of the Italian pinot grigio and is much more complex. Alsace Sylvaner is a grape variety that almost nobody else uses (I have seen one from Oregon, I think).

If you want to experience the true greatness of Alsace winemaking, spring for some Zind-Humbrecht. I think the five best white wines I've ever tasted have been Zind-Humbrects. They range in price from about $25 up to almost $100, but a low end Zind is very good and the more expensive Reislings are incredible. Mouthfulls of apple fruit. Zind-Humbrecht provides an opportunity to taste a world class white wine for far less than the top notch white Burgundies.

Shellfish is a great match, raw or cooked, as is smoked fish served with cream cheese. As mentioned above, mussels are very tradtional. If you're ever in Antwerp, Belgium, go to a restaurant called the Red Hat by the cathedral and have mussels and Alsace wine

And I agree with the posters who recommended matching Alsace wines with asian food, works great. Also a favorite at Thanksgiving dinner, it really shines with the turkey/diverse side dish/cranberry thing.

[SeaGal]

So, this is my first shot at this. I'm trying to expand my wine knowledge and especially my ability to talk about wines. I know what I like, I just don't always know how to describe it. So, here goes.

I picked up the Trimbach 2002 Riesling from Pete's here in Seattle and the guy there suggested pairing it with crab. Well, who was I to argue. So I picked up a couple of dungeness, served them room temp with both butter/lemon and homemade mayonnaise, along with some steamed asparagus, a salad dressed with balsamic vinegar and bread and cheese.

Both my husband and I detected floral and citrus on the nose, which was extremely delicate--I had to really sniff to get anything--of course we were sitting there with asparagus and crab right nearby, so that may have been a problem.

The first sip was citrusy with a slight salinity and a nice, dry finish to balance the fruitiness. I didn't find it too acidic, but fairly well balanced. This was very dry for a Reisling and I enjoyed it, although I still prefer a nice Sancerre with dungeness crab. Oddly enough, it went really well with the salad, which had beets and fennel in it.

It did not go well with the cheese, Le Lingot--I got a strong metallic taste when mixing the two.

Jan

[LEdlund]

I just finished my second tasting of the 2002 Trimbach Riesling and feel like I am ready for summer! Granted the weather we’ve been having is Seattle has helped that feeling – yesterday it was sunny and 53 degrees.

Everything about this wine was reminiscent of summer to me. From the pale yellow color, to the honeysuckle scent, to the flavors of citrus, pear and melon. But it was the honeysuckle that sold me. I couldn’t stop myself from sticking my nose in the glass – it was so luscious. Bring on the summer!

[Rebel Rose]

Well, I'm late and I've got the wrong vintage. Nevertheless, I am enjoying an interesting glass of the 2000 Trimbach Riesling.

After searching in Los Angeles and the Central Coast, I finally found Trimbach in a tiny store in Olympia, Washington. It's called the Wine Loft, but it's a stand alone, one-story brick building on a large, empty lot, with a school bus parked outside. ::shrug:: The tiny, tiny store was stuffed with precarious racks of wine and wooden boxes filled with wine on the floor, just right for tripping over. I loved it.

The aroma has no honeysuckle at all, I'm afraid.

Instead, the approach is fresh-dried alfalfa bales, animal musk and white balsamic, with a faint whiff of citrus. At first I thought it might have gone off, but then I tasted it. There's plenty of acid, and a cascade of lime, pear, white grape, kiwi, and then butterscotch, with a finish of Meyer lemon at the back of my tongue when I swallow.