2012 Alsace

No introduction required for one of the icons of Alsace – this seduces with a hauntingly subtle chalk and ginger on the nose, notes which give way to more obvious apple and lemon, a hint at a mineral quality through wet stone and slate. When one refers to a wine as being alive, this is what they’re talking about – the 2012 Clos Sainte Hune has incredible verve, but approach with caution: it’s still a bit juvenile. Wonderful saline grip and beautiful freshness in a brilliantly balanced wine which promises much. Delicate flavours of ginger, jasmine, peach and a steely lime finish – the components of this wine will evolve wonderfully – hold fire for a few years and drink until 2030+.
Ben Grosvenor, Private Account Manager

Remarkable value can be found in Trimbach's Vielles Vignes bottling, this is textbook dry Riesling. The nose offers intense citric fruit with hints of riper white stone fruit, very clean and fresh. Impressively textured on the palate, there is more flesh and concentration and flesh on show here than I expected. Lime fruit and mineral hints, beautifully balanced with saline notes.  Deliciously dry on the finish, inviting you in for more.

Famously controversial for opting out of the Grand Cru classification back in 1975 on account of the overly generous yields & low sugar levels (low quality) required, in the past five years the negociant has added 15 hectares of prime Grand Cru sites, notably in Osterberg, Geisberg, & Schlossberg, bringing their total to 45ha.  So the family are clearly not closing the door on the possibility of releasing single Grand Cru vineyard wines, albeit in tiny quantities. However they lament the fact that France’s supermarkets continue to buy up 75% of the region’s production, selling Grand Cru wines at around €7/bottle on the shelf.
Meanwhile their brands of (Riesling) Cuvee Frederic Emile, (Pinot Gris) Reserve Personnelle & (Gewurztraminer) Cuvee des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre remain central  to the range, made from both own fruit & bought in fruit; they remain a clear step up in terroir finesse from the fruitier ‘Reserve’ lines.  Clos Ste. Hune is estate’s finest Riesling, from a 1.67ha ‘clos’ within Grand Cru Rosacker; the provenance readily communicated but still absent from the label.  So as winemaker Pierre Trimbach signs off his 34th vintage in charge, this is still very much an estate to watch.

These wines are considered the benchmark for quality, consistency and style.  
Martyn Rolph, Private Account Manager

The 2012 Riesling, Clos Windsbuhl has a superb mineral intensity and perfect purity of flavours, typical of the Windsbuhl vineyard. Despite not being a Grand cru, this is a very grand wine with layer upon layer of detail, regal poise and a harmonious balance of refreshing fruit flavours. If you like citrus fruit, lively acidity, white grapefruit, blood orange and quince then you must try this wine. ‘Proper’ Riesling.
Laura Atkinson-Godwin, Private Account Manager

Writings and praise for the Windsbuhl vineyard are numerous and its history goes back to 1324 when the Domaine was known as Erlach. When the Count of Ferrette died in 1324, Erlach became the property of the House of Austria. In 1668 the hillside vineyard was renamed Windsbuhl. In 1760 the planting of vines in the plain was subject to a quota by royal decree. Many vines were pulled up and the Windsbuhl vineyard was planted with noble grape varieties. In those days, the wines commanded a high price in the old wine market, in fact the archives show this used to cost three times the price of wines from other communes.

Clos Windsbuhl faces south to south-east and its proximity to the Vosges Mountains protects the Windsbuhl from northern winds. Its situation and higher altitude makes for a late ripening terroir. With its average to steep slope (between 15 - 40%), the small Windsbuhl hill is at a high altitude for Alsace, around 350m above sea level. The vines grow in shelly limestone (muschelkalk) rich in clay and chalky rock. It is well worth noting that Windsbuhl lies on a soil structure quite different from the rest of the commune which contributes to what is one of the most interesting expressions of minerality in Alsace.

Vendange Tardive is a quality classification for Alsace wines that signifies a later harvest with greater-than-usual concentration of natural sugars. This has a discreet nose, like many Jebsal, the heavy marl soil shuts the wine down in its youth but this will improve with further ageing. This is a gorgeous honeyed wine with lots of fruits such as melon, peach and orange. Full bodied, sweet and unctuous. You must try this VT, even more so since there was no Selection de Grains Noble (SGN) made in 2012, meaning that all of the best late harvest fruit went into this wine.
Laura Atkinson-Godwin, Private Account Manager

Clos Jebsal is a single vineyard in Turkheim (1.3 ha), Alsace. The first written reference of Jebsal dates back to a deed of sale from the 16th century. Located on a steep escarpment, it was left abandoned until 1982 when Leonard Humbrecht finally managed to reunite all the small parcels and restore the lieu-dit to its entirety.

The name Jebsal refers to gypsum, the important geological component of this vineyard alongside a geological fault of grey marl limestone and Keuper, rich in clay. The small clos is very steep (50%) with numerous terraces facing due south which benefits from a very warm microclimate, hidden and protected from the northerly winds. The grey marl soils have good water retention capacity which prevents hydric stress, yielding wines with beautiful balanced acidities.

The wines from Clos Jebsal are discreet in their youth, often marked with flinty or smoky aromas. The expression of fruit linked to the concentration by botrytis is coaxed out with some time in bottle, a minimum of ten years is recommended to allow for the development of the true expression of Clos Jebsal.