Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling 2009
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Winemaker Notes
These wines are delightful alone or as an aperitif. They also pair beautifully with rich cheeses, caramelized fruit tarts, and entrees prepared in creamy sauces.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is so open and sexy with blood orange, minerals, flint and stone. Full-bodied and tangy, plus sliced lemon, lime and white peach. Salty with limestone too. Amazing. Drink now.
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Wine Enthusiast
A benchmark for Alsace Riesling, Cuvée Frédéric Emile is released only as it approaches maturity, and this 2009 is just getting there now. With kerosene aromas and tight, intensely zesty and mineral flavors, it shows the Trimbach approach—that Riesling needs to be bone dry. It's impressive now, but will be even better from 2016
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Citrus zest, fruit pit, huckleberry, and white pepper lend Trimbach’s 2009 Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile an aromatic piquancy and tactile bite that – allied to an oily texture – might pull a bit too much in a bitter direction were it not for a satisfying and far from vintage-typical abundance of exuberantly juicy lime, tangerine, and kiwi. A high-toned aura of pit fruit distillate hovers over the entire performance. Crushed stone and alkaline mineral notes add depth to an invigoratingly and tenaciously lingering finish. This ought to perform admirably in the classic Frederic Emile role for at least 12-15 years. (Incidentally, it’s bone dry, at 13.5% alcohol.)
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Wine Spectator
A compact white that marries a firm backbone of acidity with focused flavors of apple and green pear, petrol and lanolin, honeycomb and ground spice. Delivers a fresh, zesty finish. Drink now through 2029.
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Wine & Spirits
The Trimbach family’s vineyards are centered around Ribeauvillé, where this cuvée comes from a selection of vines averaging 45 years old in Geisberg and Osterberg. The south- and southeast-facing hills are a mix of limestone and sandstone marls with some muschelkalk (fossil-rich deposits from an ancient, land-locked sea). The deep-rooted old vines handled the summer drought of 2009 and turned out a classical, complex riesling with rotund flavors of apples, peaches and honeycomb. It buzzes with alcohol and acidity in the middle, then finishes relatively cool. Serve it with a savory onion tart.Esprit du Vin, Syosset, NY
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Since 1626, the Trimbach family has been promoting the history, exceptional terroirs and fine wines of Alsace. Maison Trimbach is located in Ribeauvillé, where today three generations work closely together.
Day-to-day operations are handled personally by brothers Pierre and Jean Trimbach, representing the 12th generation. Bernard and Hubert Trimbach, the 11th generation (father and uncle, respectively, to Pierre and Jean) remain integrally involved. Anne, the eldest of the 13th generation, has just joined the family business. The Trimbachs have a purist vision. Across 12 generations, the family has always produced wines that are structured, long-lived, fruity, elegant and balanced: the celebrated Trimbach style. Bottles remain in the cellar for several years before reaching the marketplace, ensuring the wines are both ready to drink upon release but also hold great aging potential.
Pierre Trimbach (winemaker since 1979) was named one of the world’s Top Ten White Winemaker by Decanter Magazine in 2006. He was also named “Wine Personality of 2016” by Betthane & Desseauve Magazine and they score Cuvée Frederic Emile 2008 a rare 20/20.
Riesling possesses a remarkable ability to reflect the character of wherever it is grown while still maintaining its identity. A regal variety of incredible purity and precision, this versatile grape can be just as enjoyable dry or sweet, young or old, still or sparkling and can age longer than nearly any other white variety. Somm Secret—Given how difficult it is to discern the level of sweetness in a Riesling from the label, here are some clues to find the dry ones. First, look for the world “trocken.” (“Halbtrocken” or “feinherb” mean off-dry.) Also a higher abv usually indicates a drier Riesling.
With its fairytale aesthetic, Germanic influence and strong emphasis on white wines, Alsace is one of France’s most unique viticultural regions. This hotly contested stretch of land running north to south on France’s northeastern border has spent much of its existence as German territory. Nestled in the rain shadow of the Vosges mountains, it is one of the driest regions of France but enjoys a long and cool growing season. Autumn humidity facilitates the development of “noble rot” for the production of late-picked sweet wines, Vendange Tardive and Sélection de Grains Nobles.
The best wines of Alsace can be described as aromatic and honeyed, even when completely dry. The region’s “noble” varieties, the only ones permitted within Alsace’s 51 Grands Crus vineyards, are Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Muscat, and Pinot Gris.
Riesling is Alsace’s main specialty. In its youth, Alsace Riesling is dry, fresh and floral, but develops complex mineral and flint character with age. Gewurztraminer is known for its signature spice and lychee aromatics, and is often utilized for late harvest wines. Pinot Gris is prized for its combination of crisp acidity and savory spice as well as ripe stone fruit flavors. Muscat, vinified dry, tastes of ripe green grapes and fresh rose petal.
Other varieties grown here include Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Chasselas, Sylvaner and Pinot Noir—the only red grape permitted in Alsace and mainly used for sparkling rosé known as Crémant d’Alsace. Most Alsace wines are single-varietal bottlings and unlike other French regions, are also labeled with the variety name.