Trimbach Clos Ste. Hune 2009
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Suckling
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Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of lemon and lime with hints of lemon grass, rose flower and licorice, plus aniseed. Pine needles too. Full-bodied and layered with dried fruit, chalk and gun metal. Tight and chewy. Drink now or hold.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh and aromatic, this complex and layered white offers a creamy palate of yellow plum, almond skin, lemon preserves, beeswax and pine forest, underscored by a minerally streak of salinity and smoke. The lovely, lacy finish resonates on the palate. Drink now through 2029.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Carrying 14% alcohol with negligible residual sugar, Trimbach’s 2009 Riesling Clos Ste-Hune leads with high-toned pear, kirsch, and almost bitingly piquant holly berry distillates. Huckleberry, holly, and fruit pit bitterness are well woven into a tight-grained, seamless fabric of fresh white peach, with further chalky and alkaline accents. The finish is a veritable rolling block of mineral and fruit distillate, boasting energy and grip, if also a bit of heat. I suspect that the Frederic Emile will retain an edge in elegance over this, which I would drink on the early side for a Ste-Hune, say over the next 10-12 years.
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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.