Country: | France |
Region: | Alsace |
Winery: | Wolfberger |
Grape Type: | Pinot Blanc |
Vintage: | 2012 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Wolfberger Alsace Edelzwicker is made from 40 % Pinot Blanc, 30% Riesling, 15% Gewurztraminer and 15 % Muscat
Edelzwicker has a nose of grilled almonds and walnuts, with a light floral hint following. The first sip shows its true character: fresh and lemony with vegetal, herbaceous flavor. It is round and easy drinking, not overpowering and finishes clean.
Each grape variety is harvested individually in early or mid-October on the most suitable date for each vineyard.
It is a good companion for food without ever dominating it. In Alsace it is served by the glass or in large jugs to partner regional specialties. In general Edelzwicker goes well with fresh salads, cold or warm starters, but also with oysters, mussels and seafood. It should always be served chilled, around 10 ° C.
Wolfberger Alsace Gewurztraminer is made from 100 percent Gewurztraminer
Very aromatic, with rose petal, peach and honeysuckle aromas. Full bodied, bright, zesty and crisp, this wine is extravagant and extroverted.
This wine has been awarded with silver and gold medal on a regular basis for the last decade.
Wolfberger Alsace Grand Cru Riesling Rangen de Thann is made from 100 percent Riesling.
Mineral, spicy, minty with some eucalyptus notes, tropical fruits, grapefruit. Balanced and exotic in the finish, with long lasting flavors.
The Rangen Grand Cru is located in Thann, deep in the south of Alsace. Its particular soil is made of volcano-clastic rocks that drink up the heat of the day and send it back out again at night. The composition of the soil allows the roots of the vines to drink deeply from the mineral-rich sub-soil. Its southern exposure has the advantage of refreshing, drying winds in case of dampness. The high slopes are quite steep, reaching 68% in some places, requiring that the harvest be done by abseiling or roping down. Perfect for aging, these wines will reveal even more qualities after several years in the cellar.
Pair with Serve with fish, seafood, sushi, sashimi, goat cheese, vegetarian food.
Wolfberger Alsace Riesling is 100 percent Riesling.
Riesling is the most popular grape variety in Alsace. Racy yet slightly fruity, Wolfberger Riesling is a subtle fine wine of citrus and mineral aromas, good acidity and freshness. It has been known for being the perfect "food wine" - great with traditional Alsatian dishes such as sauerkraut, but also, thanks to their vivacity, with fish and shellfish.
A very slow-growing variety, Riesling ripens with chilly nights. The leaves are round and thick with sharp teeth.
The berries – small, green or yellow, with thick skin – grow on a short-stemmed, cylindrical, compact cluster.
The Reisling grows best in soil that isn’t too rich, with a preference for light terroirs with lots of sunshine.
After the harvest, the grapes are put into horizontal pneumatic presses where the juice is slowly extracted. After crushing the grapes, the juice (actually the must, which includes the skins, stems and seeds) is stored in different vats, then it is carefully clarified.
Fermenting in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats for 3-4 weeks.
Racking. Fining (3-4 months). Filtration and stabilization, then aging in the bottle.
Excellent with grilled fish or cooked in a sauce, and shellfish.
Wolfberger Cremant d Alsace Brut NV is made with 90 % Pinot Blanc, 10% Pinot Auxerrois.
The production of sparkling wine was already known in Alsace in the early 1900's. The Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (A.O.C.) Crémant d’Alsace began with an official decree in August 1976.
Pale golden color. Fine, persistent bubbles. Floral nose with a hint of spiciness, gentle fruitiness (peach, apricot), and lovely balance. Fruity and lively in the palate, it has a clean and crisp finish. This wine will suit any special occasion.
Review:
""Straw color. Bright, fruity, creamy aromas of green apple pastry, peaches in cream, and lemon chiffon with a supple, tangy, finely carbonated, dry-yet-fruity medium body and an effortless, amusing, medium-long white nuts, lime-pineapple sorbet, and minerals finish with no oak. A refreshing, tangy sparkling wine that will shine at the table."
-Beverage Testing Institute, 94 pts (Exceptional)
Wolfberger Alsace Grand Cru Hengst Gewurztraminer is made from 100 percent Grand Cru Gewurztraminer.
Hengst means stallion in alsatian.
Floral nose, yellow fruits, sweet spices. The mouth is ample with the same aromatic.
Tangential filtration before bottling.Vinification in stainless steel tanks at 16°C then aging on fine lees until spring of the following year.
Full-bodied cheese (munster, époisses), curry, dessert with fresh fruit
Wolfberger Alsace Pinot Blanc 2012 is made from 100 percent Pinot Blanc
Harvest mid-September.
This clean and crisp style of wine displays delicate peach aromas with a hint of almonds. Smooth on the palate, it is balanced, with a creamy texture and a clean finish. This wine is excellent with shellfish and smoked meat.
The Wolfberger Estate
Wolfberger is a union of producers located in Eguisheim, south of Colmar. The city was also the home of Pope Leo IX, the Reformer (Pope from 1048 – 1054 A.D.). The winery was founded in 1902 when a group of wine-growers in Eguisheim decided to join forces to create one of the first cooperatives in Alsace. The cave counts 800 members today. Wolfberger combines tradition and constant innovation to elaborate high quality wines and preserve their typicity.
The resident oenologist at Wolfberger is Bertrand Praz. A young but extremely capable winemaker, he learned his craft at the famous Dijon wine school and from working at the Mumm Champagne House. He has taken huge strides in raising the quality level here. They also take their evaluative wine tasting very seriously and have a highly efficient set-up for tasters. The amphitheatre style classroom has individual wine-tasting desks each with light, spit bowl and automatic water faucet.
"This huge cooperative with more than 800 members makes charming crémant sparklers and clean varietals at a bargain price." - Anthony Dias Blue's Pocket Guide to Wine 2006
"An Alsatian cooperative located just south of the town of Colmar, these are tasty, fairly priced, dry white wines from a region that could use some help." - Wine Advocate (Aug. 2010)
Wolfberger is the rare example, in the wine world, of bigger actually being better.
The Wolfberger Vineyard
With 1300 hectares (3,211 acres), 500 hectares of which are in and around Eguisheim, there is a lot of raw material for a specialty importer to choose from. Pinot Blanc has been known in Alsace since the 16th century. Today it covers 22% of the vineyards and is the second most important variety after Riesling. It succeeds well in most soils and enjoys the dry microclimate of the area. The grapes are gathered in vineyards situated above Eguisheim and in surrounding villages. Rangen is the most southerly vineyard in Alsace and belongs to the towns of Thann and Vieux-Thann. This mountainside vineyard ranges from 340 to 470 m in altitude, and its slopes are extremely steep (up to 85%), with dark, stony soil, where harvesting resembles mountain climbing because the grape-pickers work from top to bottom, secured with harnesses and ropes. The grapes are brought down on sledges. The river Thur which flows at its base helps to preserve it from spring frosts. From the geological point of view, Rangen is immediately adjacent to the main Vosges fault and lies on the Devonian-Carboniferous volcano-clastic base. This gives a siliceous rock, more or less coarse sand, with acid and basic minerals, fertilizing elements for the soil: Ca, K, Mg, Mn, Fe, F, P, S, with trace elements. Rangen is the only vineyard
Wolfberger Cremant d Alsace Brut NV is made with 90 % Pinot Blanc, 10% Pinot Auxerrois.
The production of sparkling wine was already known in Alsace in the early 1900's. The Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (A.O.C.) Crémant d’Alsace began with an official decree in August 1976.
Pale golden color. Fine, persistent bubbles. Floral nose with a hint of spiciness, gentle fruitiness (peach, apricot), and lovely balance. Fruity and lively in the palate, it has a clean and crisp finish. This wine will suit any special occasion.
Review:
""Straw color. Bright, fruity, creamy aromas of green apple pastry, peaches in cream, and lemon chiffon with a supple, tangy, finely carbonated, dry-yet-fruity medium body and an effortless, amusing, medium-long white nuts, lime-pineapple sorbet, and minerals finish with no oak. A refreshing, tangy sparkling wine that will shine at the table."
-Beverage Testing Institute, 94 pts (Exceptional)
Philippe Milan Pommard AOC is 100% Pinot Noir
This wine has been aged in Oak (25% new Oak)
This is a little more structured and the style goes more toward the
"vin de garde", or wines meant to age. This wine needs some food, or sometime
in the decanter right now. It is well structured and reminds me of a Volnay. As
a matter of fact, the parcel is located right next to Volnay. The finish is
long and still quite juicy with chewy tannins lingering.
Trione Cabernet Sauvignon Block 21 is made from 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec and 2% Cabernet Franc.
Aged 18 Months in French oak barrels (45% new)
Our Block 21 Cabernet is a single vineyard selection from the Trione Cloverdale Ranch, located on the western flank of the Mayacamas Mountains, in the northern portion of Alexander Valley. The vines, planted in 2001 with Bordeaux clone 337, grow in clay and sandy loam soils underlain with a high percentage of gravel. Cabernet Sauvignon grown in this ideal terroir develops deep, concentrated flavors and fine, smooth tannins.
Aromatic entry filled with hints of clove, allspice and nutmeg. The impression on the palate is soft, with silky tannins and lingering hints of mocha and cedar cigar box. Also present are the fruit profiles of plum, currant, blueberries and boysenberry. The finish is long and persistent which shows the beautiful balance of tannin/acidity/oak in the structure. This wine is showing the benefit of barrel and bottle age and is drinking perfectly now and will age gracefully for the next 5-10 years.
Review:
"The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Block 21 has a medium ruby color and ripe red and black fruits on the nose accented by vanilla, tobacco, dried herbs and pencil shavings. The medium-bodied palate has well-managed ripeness and mineral-laced fruits in a grainy, fresh frame and with a long finish. This is a fresh style that's approachable right out of the gate. - Erin Brooks"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (August 2020), 91 pts