2007 Sylvaner Cuvée "Z", Eric Rominger

France has many acclaimed wines, and just too many who do not get the appreciation they deserve. This overlooked category includes many frech and mineral Muscadet, numerous Banyuls that is an excellent substitute for port wine, brilliant white Burgundies from Saint Aubin, healthy red Cabernet Franc wines from the Loire, and - not least - Sylvaner from Alsace.

2007 Sylvaner Cuvée "Z", Eric Rominger in Westhalten has grown in Grand Cru "Zinnkoeplé. The scent is developed, toasty and mixed with melon, coriander seed and smoke. The taste is big and powerful, full of energy and with a lovely balance between the sturdy acids and the dense, slightly oily aftertaste that is completely dry. Just what a Sylvaner should be. Price: € 11.

2007 Pinot Gris, Seppi Landmann

Seppi Landmann has for years welcomed pickers from all corners of the earth to participate in the harvest of grapes from Grand Cru  Zinnkoepflé, lieu-dit Bollenberg and the beautiful valley Vallée Noble. His late harvested vendanges tardives and sélecton de grains nobles have been legendary in character, depth and purity. But the years have passed and Seppi has now, in the absence of natural heirs, formed an alliance with Rieflé Rouffach to secure continuity.

2007 Pinot Gris Vallée Noble from Seppi Landmann in Soultzmatt has a deep yellow color. The scent offers fresh apricots, spices, orange peel, ripe pears and flowers. The medium bodied taste has a distinct but integrated sweetness, moderate acidity and slight bitterness in the pleasing aftertaste. Price: € 9 (Primeur)

2007 Pinot Noir Cuvée Mathieu, Martin Schaetzel

When local winebloggers recently met, I had the pleasure to drink Georgian wine fermented in a qwewri . A qwewri is a vessel of clay that is dug into the ground and filled with grapes which are then fermented into a completely natural wine, full of vitality and character. The wines become extremely powerful with a complex taste loaded with tannins. A Pinot Noir from Alsace represents a totally different style…

2007 Pinot Noir Cuvée Mathieu from Martin Schaetzel in Ammerschwihr signals PN already with its color. The aroma is developed, fresh and clean with cherries, carrots, vanilla and some rubber. In the mouth the wine offers a silky texture, complex and slightly caramel-like fruit and ripe tannins that offers a good structure. Not great, not spectacular, but a really well crafted and useful wine that developed further during a full six hours in a glass. Price (current vintage is 2009): € 11.50.

2007 Riesling Grand Cru Brand, Stirn

It is easy to appreciate when the flavor of a wine matches the aromas. As in a good Chablis, where the smoky aroma of flint and herbs, seamlessly are captured by a taste that is clean, hard, uncompromising and ... absolutely gorgeous. But Alsace offers a lot more surprises, where aromas and flavors may seem to come from different worlds.

2007 Riesling Grand Cru Brand from Stirn in Sigolsheim has huge but focused aromas of chocolate, honey, lilac, clementines and arrack. The taste, however, is tight, perfectly balanced with rich and silky fruit that expand into a firm and elegant minerality. A perfect illustration of how the vines on Brans receive sun and heat through the canopy, while the roots seek nourishment and survival deep in a fragile granite. Price: € 12.

2008 Pinot Noir, Agathe Bursin

When will Alsace Pinot Noir stand up against red Burgundy? Never, is a good answer because a good Echezeaux, Chambertin and Bonnes Mares is in a class by itself. Regardless of reference. But also since reds from Pfalz and Ahr quite often puts Alsace in place. Fortunately, there are exceptions, and several of them are to be found in the sector Rouffach, Westhalten and Soultzmatt. A little warmer, a little more iron, a little harsher but mostly - abundance  of determination, passion and skill.


2008 Pinot Noir from Agathe Bursin in Westhalten has carmine red color. The nose is well defined with currants, black cherries, cooked carrots and wonderfully integrated vanilla. The taste is initially acidic, but opens up in the glass and presents its' silky fruit, supple acidity and a tight finish with no trace of stalkiness. Price: € 14.

Edelzwicker, Gérard Schueller

Elias Canetti got the Nobel prize in literature for the novel Die Blendung. It comes to my mind after spending a week in Burgundy, tasting several hundreds of the worlds' most prestigeous wines, day after day. Wines where 9 out of 10 fall into pieces after some years, after having been sold at astronomical prizes with promises of a glorious future that never arrives. At the same time you may uncork a 20 year old Alsace or Bordeaux at any quality level, selected with blindfold without any worries of oxidation.

Edelzwicker from Gérard Schueller in Husseren-les-Château has a lively and attractive aroma of flowers, mango, apricots and yellow apples. The taste is good, honest and refreshing with lovely acids, a nice backbone and some length. Price: Next to nothing.

1995 Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Hengst, Josmeyer

A wine consists of equal part chemistry and emotions. Some wines make our eyes water, by admiration and by the privilege of getting to drink them. A great wine that approaches its' 20 anniversary attains many similarities with a great piece of art or a classic piece of music: the convey an impression of both a lot of energy and of eternal life.

1995 Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Hengst from Josmeyer i Wintzenhem is golden and crystal clear. The aroma is expressive but not vulgar and offers roses, ginger, nuts, chocolate and a hint of volatiles as signs of maturity. The wines coats the mouth, and the pure and complex taste is harmonious with fresh acidity, layers of elegant fruit, fully integrated sweetness and a stunning minerality that lingers on forever in the dryish aftertaste. Magic! Price: €23 (year 2006).