Trimbach, 'Frederic Emile' Riesling, Alsace, France, 2016

Overview of the Wine
The Trimbach’s have a purist vision. For three centuries and across 13 generations, the family has produced wines that are structured, longlived, fruity, elegant and balanced: the celebrated Trimbach style. The family personally looks after each operation, from planting to harvests and from vinification to bottling. The viticultural origin of the Trimbach family dates back to 1626, when Jean Trimbach, was recognized as a citizen of Riquewihr. From then on, the Trimbach’s were renowned for their wine-growing. Maison Trimbach’s vineyards are all situated around Ribeauville (Ribeauville, Hunawihr, Bergheim, Rorschwihr, Riquewihr and Mittlewihr). They benefit from the unique Alsatian microclimate, thanks to the Vosges Mountains protection, which preserves the plain from the rain. The vineyards were planted on the Ribeauville’s fault line that fractured 50 million years ago between the Vosges Mountain range and the Black Forest offering a mosaic of terroirs including the complex calcareous limestone and bio-degraded seashell fossils called “Muschelkalk”. Trimbach Réserves are the result of a rigorous selection from mostly old vineyards in Ribeauvillé and the surrounding villages, producing more complex wines with longer ageing potential.

In the 1960’s, the Trimbach family decided that it was time for a second great dry Riesling, thus Cuvée Frédéric Émile, the signature wine of the Trimbach family was created.

The plot of the Frédéric Émile straddles the Grands Crus Osterberg and Geisberg in Ribeauvillé, overlooking the winery. The plot has marl-calcaro-sandstone soils, south-southeast exposure, steep slope, and old vines 55+ years old.
2016 had a mild winter, with heavy spring rains replenishing the water reserves. A hot and sunny summer with peak temperatures at the end of August resulted in beautiful maturity. Harvest had cool but sunny conditions.

Grape / Blend
Riesling

Origin
Alsace, France

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
This wine reveals a great aromatic complexity. Citrus, white flowers, and flinty mineral notes. The mouthfeel is ample and rich, while remaining precise balanced by chiseled acidity. This vintage is characterized by its freshness with tension, finesse and minerality.

Perfect with oysters, langoustines, lobster, grilled fish or fish in white butter sauce as well as roasted poultry, sweetbreads, dishes with chanterelle mushrooms, potato gratin and vegetables.

97 Points - Vinous
Luminous straw-yellow. Complex, mint-accented aromas of nectarine, tangerine and powdered stone, plus a hint of licorice. Then bright, juicy and dense, showing outstanding acid-sugar balance and a penetrating juiciness to the stone fruit and herbal flavors. Finishes multilayered and very long, displaying noteworthy clarity and limy cut on the saline finish. Wine lovers everywhere know just how great Frédéric Emile Rieslings can be, but this looks to be a real knockout in the making; I absolutely love this wine’s mineral drive and precision. It pulls off the neat trick of being both very ageworthy and also lovely to drink right now. I was happy to know that my palate was still working after an extremely long day of tasting when I told Pierre that in this vintage of Frédéric Emile I found more of the Geisberg than the Osterberg (in most vintages, the wine is a blend of 60/40 Osterberg-Geisberg, at times even 70/30, but this year it’s more like 55/45).

94 Points - Wine Enthusiast
This shows signs of development, with very subtle notes of beeswax and white truffle, but its core is packed with juicy Korean pear, lemon verbena and orange zest. Crackling acidity holds the firm structure, while sea-salt notes add to the intrigue. It ends with a lip-smacking finish. Taub Family Selections.

Product size: 750ml