2005 Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile

2005 was a deliciously pure vintage. ‘Straight to the point, behaving as it should, easy for us’ according to Trimbach. Perfumed and very fumey fine Riesling on the nose. ‘It just starts to be approachable’ says JT. Very dry and firm. Sinewy. Lean but true. Very, very Riesling. Such austerity yet also concentration! Extremely dry and uncompromising though there is an undertow of great mineral extract. (JR)

The 2005 Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile follows the lead of the “reserve” bottling in offering palpable extract yet elegance and refinement. Peach, apricot, apricot kernel, lime, and pungent floral notes in the nose lead to a juicy mouthful of citrus and pit fruit with further invigoration added by accents of salt, huckleberry and toasted pumpkin seeds. Blazingly bright in its citricity and palate-staining in its fruit, nut, and mineral intensity, this displays an amazing tiny-berry concentration and utmost clarity when one considers its having been rained on early in October – tribute to an impeccable viticultural regime as well as the breezy location (on the Osterberg) of these vines. It won’t be released until 2010, by which time it can be expected to have “shut down” and re-opened, as well as – I hasten to add – to promise further richness and complexity over the following 12-15 years. Chalk dust, sea breeze and lime in the nose of their 2004 Riesling Reserve set the rather austere tone for this densely-concentrated wine. A hint of muskiness signals an exotic aspect that runs right though a minerally-intense finish that really shows the wines ripe but ultra-bright acidity. This (like some of the other 2004s) appears to already be in the process of shutting down a bit, leading me to wonder whether it might hit the market while in a vinous trough. The Trimbach family continues to render some of the world’s finest Riesling; to uphold the principle that wine of Alsace (unless V.T.) should not taste sweet; to release wines only when they believe those wines say “it’s time”; and to ship 40,000 cases (or 40% of their production) to the United States. Notable developments on the occasion of my recent visit were the enhanced quality of their reserve level wines as well as outstanding performances with Pinot Gris. The wines on which I report below include some of those currently in the marketplace or about to appear, but most of the 2004s and 2005s will not be released for 1-3 more years. By the time early October rains struck in 2005, the team here had harvested everything other than their top Riesling. Yet, even though some of their most striking successes were picked unusually early, the upper-tier Rieslings here seem to have suffered neither dilution nor obscurant botrytis. The Trimbachs clearly rolled with any punches nature administered in 2004 (although by the time they harvested, abundant initial bunches had morphed into low yields), delivering Riesling of startling clarity and concentration that showcases its minerality and acidity. But in view of so much negative rot, they declined to attempt any nobly sweet selections. Importer: Esprit Du Vin French Wine Merchants & Select European Estates, 48 Harbor Park Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050; www.edvwines.com

Pale color. Complex nose combines dusty stone, quinine and lime blossom, with a note of white grapefruit emerging with aeration. Began quite tight and citric, but with time in the glass this showed a creamy texture without any loss of inner-palate energy. Almost painfully brisk on the finish. I'd expect a wine like this to go into a shell within the next year or so.