Alsace
94 Zind-Humbrecht Gewürztraminer Goldert VT
Excellent structure, balance, body, mouthfeel, strong G flavor and nice nose. Only problem was that the finish, although long and luxurious, carried a touch of cough syrup. Cost $56 (worth $40 as is, $50 if you like G, $60 if there’s a twenty floating in it).11/00
Grape Nutz Review Medium-dark butterscotch color. Very complex and well-integrated nose. Soft and stylish, yet still big on the palate, with spicy caramel, cake, toast, and toasted walnuts. Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+
Cake? What kind of cake is that? Toast? The wine did not taste like toast, my friends. They obviously aren’t called Grape Nutz for nothing.
Mark Squires Review The 1994 ZHs are wonderfully deep and intense wines as they move up into grand cru and/or VT status. This Goldert VT, both grand cru and VT, does about what you expect—it takes no prisoners. The sweetness has mostly blown off (as it tends to do with VTs as they age), but the depth and power remains, and the wine is pristine. There is just a hint of botrytis, and as the wine aired out and warmed up, some varietal characteristics popped out, too. They were hidden at first because the wine is so powerful and so dense. The quality of fruit here is simply exceptional. 94 points.
Completely agree with above review, except how can he score it a lofty 94 points? Squires must have been somewhere else during the finish. And what kind of a name is Squires anyway! You can’t be serious.
95 Zind-Humbrecht Gewürztraminer Herrenweg de Turckheim VTSweet sweet sweet sweet sweet. It’s good. Only a very faint touch of cloying on finish, hardly noticeable. The sweetness seems more pronounced than the G flavor, but that’s probably the point. Would guess this could have aged another 5-10 years no problem. Cost ? (would pay $35). 7/05
96 Pierre Sparre Gewürztraminer Reserve
Similar to 97 Sparre G for $14. Is it worth the extra $2. 12/9996 Ostertag Gewürztraminer
Awesome. Full flavor G. just like the $30 versions from ZH. Really is incredibly sweet too. Almost makes me think of auslese. Could last another ?5+ 9/04(2) Didn’t last any 5+ because I couldn’t stop myself. Anyway, it was great. Wish I had more. 5/05
97 Schoffit Gewürztraminer
Fantastic. Mouth filling, lots of fruit. Decent finish. Not bad at all. ?now through several more years. 6/01(2) Pretty darned good. I’d say drinking right in the window. Golden. Rich. Good. Medium bodied. Not too sweet or cloying. Cost $19 (worth $25) 6/06
97 Pierre Sparre GewürztraminerLots of flavor here. Very active fruit, medium finish. Like an odd but gifted little boy that can’t wait to tell you what he did today. Most exuberant $12 wine I can remember. 12/99
(2) Just like the 96G, but possibly less structured. Splitting hairs. Lots of flavor and some body. Great value. $12. 4/00
97 Schleret Gewürztraminer
Not having tasted it side by side with Sparre, I can only compare my relative level of enthusiasm, which is about the same for both, making Sparre the better value. $17 4/00(2) Seems like more body this time. Coats the palate more. Now-2003. Now you listen here mister… 6/00
(3) Good. Full flavored. $19 (worth $25). Only flaw, could have been a little more rounded. Standard finish. (drink now – 2004) 10/01
98 Trimbach Gewurztraminer
Not bad but somewhat dry and hard for $19 G. I don’t think it’s as good as the Sparr G I’ve had.
98 Pierre Sparr Gewürztraminer Reserve
Good. Just like before but more expensive. What happened to the e? $16 9/01
00 Pierre Sparre Gewürztraminer Reserve
Good. Once again, Sparre does not disappoint. As much flavor as you can expect for $14. 4/03
01 Pierre Sparre Gewürztraminer
It wasn’t as good as I remember from a few years ago. Or maybe I’m thinking of the reserve? The flavor just wasn’t— $13 1/03
01 Hugel Gewürztraminer
Fine. Not bad. Nothing really special. Hugel wines always seem harsh to me. $19 1/05
01 Blanck Gewurztraminer Fersentum VV
Good, solid Gewurz flavor, but finish is surprisingly non-existent (after beginning/middle). Incredible value for $25 (cost $30). 12/05
“Aromas of smoked meat, cinnamon oil and rose petal. Chewy, spicy and stylish, with an enticing sugar/acid balance. Not especially fat but offers excellent peppery density to buffer its 33 grams of residual sugar. Finishes sweet, chewy and smooth, with lovely spicy persistence.”
Dude, he is dead on. Tanzer is dead on.
02 Blanck Gewürztraminer
Nose is good. Flavor is fine. Mouthfeel is soft. Finish is fine. My only knock is it kind of loses its grip (and the flavor just drops off like a ledge) about ¾ of the way into the mid-palate. But no, that finish is actually pretty good at this price. I have to say it is an intriguing wine. $22 (worth $18?) 8/05
(2) I think it is worth pretty much exactly its $20 tag. 9/05
Pronounced: Pie-Knot-Gree
95 ZH Pinot Gris RSU
V. strong. Muscular. Sharp. Unfortunately, the taste was slightly sour. Because of this, I would say worth $30 and not $50. I paid $53. RP 97? Wow. Maybe if I had waited? 7/02
95 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris VV
Full bodied. Delicious. Crisp but lush. Nose is good, nothing special. Palate is nice. Worth all of $36. 5/01(2) Don’t remember. $32 7/03
96 Schoffit PG Harth Cuvee Prestige $20
Crisp, refreshing, but quite round and ready to go. Nice nose and finish. I love it now for $20, and I don’t have any idea what to expect with a little more cellaring (we’ll find out). 7/99
(2) Fruity, citrusy. Lots of flavor. Drink now through some time later. $21 11/99
(3) Sweeter than I remembered. Interesting, weird. A science project finish. 8/06
96 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris RSU
Eh…Great flavor but had a square finish. $43 [RP 95, 1998-2018] I say $35 and 92-93 9/05
96 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl
To Zind-Humbrecht from Sweetness:
And I have known the eyes already, known them all —
The eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase,
And when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin,
When I am pinned and wriggling on the wall,
Then how should I begin
Well, you can begin with this wine. It’s awesome. If sweetness were a tricky worm that didn’t like to be bottled with structure and focus, Zind-Humbrecht would be the worm master. Formulated sweetness is worth more than pieces of gold and certainly worth more than $42. 2/00
96 Hugel Pinot Gris Jubilee
Standard PG nose. Good PG flavor. Holding up nicely. Finish is nothing special, but it’s fine. Would go ahead and drink now. Cost $27 (worth $25). 6/05
96 Hugel Pinot Gris Jubilee
Sharp, strong. Pretty focused without going all-Chablis. Seems like with PG you should either pay $25 for a wine like this, or more for a wine (VT) that basically is a dessert wine. Be careful though there is a fair amount of acidity here. $26 totally worth $26 9/05
97 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris VV
Solid body. Great start. Finish is fairly lasting (but one small knock is that the) flavor is slightly less delicious than it promises to be at the start. 6/05
97 Schleret Pinot Gris
I think someone ran out of gewürztraminer labels and started putting pinot gris labels on instead. I am trying to say that this PG tasted like a G. 7/00
97 Zind-Humbrecht Rotenberg Pinot Gris
Full nose. Great mouth-feel. Strong flavor. Perhaps a bit too sour on the late palate and finish. Where’s the sugar? $30 (worth $25 unless it blossoms with age?) 2/01
97 Rene Mure St Landelin Pinot Gris
Very sweet and full-flavored. Good mouth-feel and acceptable finish. $25 and probably worth it. 1/02
00 Deiss Pinot Gris $30
Very sweet. Nose has that slightly narshty chemical smell I’ve seen a few times from various Alsatians (both Riesling and PG). This chemical X does carry through into the main flavor, although it’s not unpalatable. Also, it’s hard to fully appreciate the PG character once you get to this sweetness level (which is not quite dessert-level, but definitely in VT territory). Late palate thins and falls off a bit. Basically, this wine is okay, but I wouldn’t pay > $22 for it. (cost $30) It’s also too acidic. [RP 91, 2004-2012] 2/06
96 Schoffit Riesling ‘Prestige’
Crisp acids. Lots of citrus. Medium bodied. Focused. Concentrated bite on late-palate. I’m sure this wine will evolve nicely for a few years. Everybody loves Alsace. $21 4/9996 Schoffit Riesling Harth
What happened to this bottle? Some terrible accident? Flavor somehow warped like a really f’d up Marsanne kind of. Bad. 1/06
96 Schoffit Riesling Harth
Intriguing and not too bad flavor (better than previous). Only just slightly acidic, but not unpleasantly so. Finish is…interesting. Awkward, but not unpleasantly so. Worth $12 (cost $16). 6/06
96 Schoffit Riesling Harth
Same as the below Schleret. And look. It wasn’t me. These are some warped ones. $17 (worth $0) 6/06
96 Schleret RieslingSour. Disgusting. Paint. Almost undrinkable. $16 (worth $0) 6/06
97 Huet Riesling
Not enough fruit. Too shrill. Tastes like a lemon-rock Chablis more than anything. $17 (worth $10 to me) 9/0001 Zind-Humbrecht “Zind”
Tastes like an ordinary Alsatian Riesling, which is funny because it’s not a Riesling. It has Auxerrois, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc apparently. Nothing majorly flawed with it, just not showing a great deal of flavor at the moment. Perhaps in a few years? I don’t really know. $25 2/05
02 Paul Zinck Hersiberg Riesling Grand Cru
Crisp, sharp. A touch oaky but enough fruit to make it worth it. Round, full mouthfeel. Decent finish. Wonder what will happen to this in 6-10 yrs? Cost $25 (worth $22). 6/05
02 Blanck Riesling
Attack is okay. Mouthfeel is pretty smooth. Finish is okay. The middle flavor may be a little unfocused, though, which seems a bit weird for an Alsatian Riesling. $19 8/05
(2) Worth about $16 9/05
02 Ostertag Sylvaner
Sort of like a standard Alsatian Riesling. Not bad. Worth almost $16. 9/04
Muscat
02 Zind-Humbrecht Muscat
Plenty of acidity, round mouthful of fruit, which, as far as my limited wine knowledge goes, makes me think of Gewürztraminer. Medium finish with only touch of sour. Cost $20 (worth $20). A few hours later: getting a bit too sour/tart/acidic, which is fine for the mouth, but murder on the stomach. 7/05