Trimbach Clos Ste. Hune (scuffed labels) 2014
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James
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Robert
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Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
A rich yet but very pure and cristalline Clos Ste Hune, with floral and citrus notes. Bone dry, mineral backbone and a lingering finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A stunning wine with ethereal aromas of sliced apple, sliced pear and mineral character. Flowers and honeysuckle too. Full-bodied, very tight and dense. It goes so deep and beautiful. Bright and tangy acidity. Has the depth of a great vintage of grand cru Burgundy but is so Clos Ste. Hune in character. Muscularly feminine and breathtaking.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Riesling Clos Ste Hune is clear and intense on the concentrated nose, offering ripe white-fruit aromas. On the palate, this is a bone-dry, vital and finessed Riesling with a long and tension-filled, salty finish. The 2014 is a kind of quintessence of the Ribeauvillé/Hunawihr terroir: pure, lean, stony and salty, with no flesh, but lots of bones and minerals at this very early moment. Picked at 35 hl/ha this is a straight Sainte Hune that will last for for 30+ years.
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Wine & Spirits
This is Pierre Trimbach’s 35th vintage of Clos Sainte Hune, which he now makes with his nephew, Jean. Located within the Rosacker grand cru in Hunawihr, the Clos is the family’s most prized vineyard site, 4.12 acres of vines, the oldest planted in 1951, growing in muschelkalk, a fossil-flecked limestone. Protected by the height of the Vosges mountains and by the stone wall that surrounds the vines and helps trap the warmth of the sun, riesling thrives in this site. The 2014 vintage, from a relatively cool ripening season, has enough acidity and mineral power to catch in the back of your throat, and yet the wine is saturated and elegant, making that tickle a signal to sit up and take notice. What’s remarkable about this riesling is the precision of its flavors and structure, sustained in the midst of its bold intensity. The chalk, lemon pith and white cranberry purity of that flavor is youthfully reticent, delivering hints of what this will become with age.
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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.