Sipping trip to Alsace and Bordeaux
April 30, 2009
“Alsace has the best white wines in the world — full stop,” Master of Wine James Cluer tells our Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 3 class.
To prove this, he started us with a Pinot Gris face-off. The grape goes by Pinot Grigio in Italy and the styles of wine from the two regions are very different.
First we tried the 2007 Pinot Grigio from Santa Margherita from Valdadige, Italy ($20). It’s not a very intense wine, but you’re able to get some citrus, pear, green apple and maybe a mineral note. A dry wine with fairly high acidity, I’d like to try it with a chicken caesar salad on a summer afternoon.
The Italian PG got blown out of the water by the Alsatian. In our second glass was a 2004 Grand Cru Steinert Pinot Gris from Pfaffenheim from Alsace, France ($32). It was off-dry with just enough acid to make you salivate. Since it has a few years in the bottle, it had more developing notes on the nose: purfume, baked apple, and honey in addition to the citrus notes.
Overall, the Pfaffenheim was more intense, had more richness, was better balanced and delivered a long finish. Love that ripe fruit!
In addition to Pinot Gris, Alsace is known for growing Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Muscat (and to a lesser extent, Sylvaner). Our next stop on the Alsatian oenological tour was a delicious 2002 Pierre Sparr Grand Cru Altenbourg Riesling ($40).
I love Riesling. This one, having aged for seven years, had that wonderful petrol/mineral/honey/nutty thing going on. It was dry (not all Rieslings are sweet!) with lots of acidity (which Riesling is also known for) and was beautifully balanced.
Cluer called Alsatian producer Zind Humbrecht one of the top 100 best wine producers in the world. We tried its 2004 Turckheim Gewurztraminer ($70). Gewurz is a highly aromatic wine, and this one definitely smelled like it was going to pack a punch! There was lots of exotic fruit, baked apple, spice, flowers, mineral — lots of descriptors means a complex wine. It was off-dry with medium acid and fat, rich flavours came through on the palate. Our only complaint was that the alcohol was a bit high and threw the wine slightly off balance.
All Aboard for Bordeaux
Our first Bordeaulais challenge was to taste the Cru Bourgeois Médoc (a higher classification) versus a AC Bordeaux supérieur (although superior, it’s a lesser classification. Supérieur in Bordeaux wines means it has a higher level of alcohol).
The first wine we tried was pretty crisp, and in later discussion Cluer pointed to unripe grapes as the culprit. It burned a bit hot with alcohol and wasn’t altogether well balanced. There were a few layers of aroma and flavour: black fruit, sweet spice, licorice … but there was a definite sharpness to it.
This was Chateau d’Argadens Bordeaux 2005 ($21.99), the AC Bordeaux supérieur. “It’s not good — is it, really?” Cluer rhetorically asked the class. But he guaranteed it was the best wine on the store’s shelf at this price point (despite it being crap). Lesson? Don’t buy Bordeaux unless you have deep pockets. This wine was thin, acidic and you could find a lot of easier drinking alternatives around the world for your $20.
We compared it to a 2000 Chateau Maurac Cru Bourgeois, Haut Médoc (in Bordeaux) ($34.80). The extra 13 bucks bought us smoother, more harmonious tannins and a complex wine. After sitting for nine years in the bottle, this wine was taking on aromas and flavours of developing reds: forest floor, mushroom, earth, tobacco, and leather, in addition to some black fruit notes.
“Anything but a Napa Valley fruit bomb,” Cluer laughed. This wine is hovering around its drinking peak, but since there’s still some fruit left it will likely hold on and drink well for another four or five years.
Left Bank Vs Right Bank
When you’re in Bordeaux, you’ll hear these terms tossed around all the time. Left bank means all the wineries to the left (West) of the Gironde river. Right bank refers to the ones on the other side, further from the Atlantic ocean. The left uses more Cabernet Sauvignon in their red blends, while the right favours Merlot. The choices have to do with the soil conditions, because the two grapes have different needs.
We started on the right bank with a 1998 Chateau Grant Pontet Grand Cru, from Saint Emilion ($70). After 11 years, this wine is gorgeous. Smooth tannins and plummy, earthy, leathery, spicy notes. Give me some beef with this one!
We crossed the river to Chateau Kirwan, a third growth from Margaux ($99). 2005 was a benchmark year in Bordeaux, but it’s still pretty early to be drinking it. Bordeaux wines are made for the patient consumer. The tannins were still pretty tight, but over the next 10-20, even 30 years this wine will come into its own. The aromas are elegant — no “jerk your head back I’m an Australian Shiraz” brashness here.
Gimme some Suga
Both Alsace and Bordeaux are known for sweet wines, and I have to admit I’m a fan. If only they weren’t so expensive…
Domaine Ostertag Grand Cru Muenchberg, Alsace 2004 ($100). A stewed apricot, honeysuckle, minerally delight! Made with Riesling, this wine has enough acidity to balance the sweetness. We thought it could be a bit sweeter on the finish, as it was a bit dry, but overall excellent quality. But still a hundred bucks!
Sauternes isn’t for everyone, the grapes here are encouraged to be infected with ‘noble’ rot. That’s right: rotton grapes make this very expensive, sweet wine. But I like it. We tried Chateau Filhot Grand Cru Sauternes 1999 ($36.48, 375 ml). There are tropical fruit notes, tinned pineapple perhaps and the noble rot gives hints of nail varnish or glue that some people take a while to warm to. Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it!
Is France worth the wait?
The thing about Bordeaulais wine is that they are made in a different style than New World wines. You’re not getting that ready-to-drink, fruit-forward, big hitting wine that can be delivered from California, Australia or Argentina. These wines are elegant and most need a long time on the shelf before they drink at their best. And most of the ones worth drinking are expensive. But if you have the time and money, you can be rewarded with some really special wines.
Comments
3 Responses to “Sipping trip to Alsace and Bordeaux”
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I like your article, interesting to read the notes on the different wines. However I have to disagree with your final analysis of French wines. OK, so some French wines are expensive and some require ageing before being ready to drink (but so are some Californian wines I might add). However, it is completely incorrect to say that this is the bulk of what France has to offer! What about the entire Vins de Pays category for a starter? And Muscadet? Then there’s the Beaujolais range – and not just the standard Beaujolais or Beaujolais-Villages. There are some excellent, ready to drink, light, fruit-driven wines amongst the ten crus which are superb value for money. So please Sheila, don’t stick France up there on an inaccessible shelf! The beauty of French wines is that there is something for everyone and every purse.
Hi Chris! Thanks for your comment. I’m glad the article gave you something to think about.
I agree that there are some great Vin de Pays (and good value, especially from Vin de Pays d’Oc). And I agree with your comments about Muscadet and Beaujolais … but you can see that these wines are not from Bordeaux or Alsace — which is what this whole post was about
My concluding comments were in reference to the wines we had tried in class that night — and the best ones had some age and were fairly pricey. That was also my experience while I was in Bordeaux last fall.
Thanks again — I look forward to your future feedback on Ruby Suitcase!
Cheers, Sheila.
I think I will try to recommend this post to my friends and family, cuz it’s really helpful.