Trimbach Winery Alsace Wine tasting with Owner-Jean Trimbach

Tuesday, February 11, 2020 - 07:30 PM

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"Mr. Alexander: Try the wine!"
Alexander in A Clockwork Orange (1971)

 

We always recommend that you try the wine before buying it that is why we host so many wine tastings.  Last year we hosted our first “Once in a lifetime” Alsace wine tasting featuring a vintage of the ultra-rare Clos St Hune from Trimbach.  This was an amazing event, but the star of the show was the 2001 Cuvee Frederick Emile!  This is part of the scientific work were doing with wine and it’s nice when you find a wine that is much less expensive, easier to find and a fraction of the cost. 

There are some incredible values coming from Alsace today and that is why we are opening on a Tuesday night at the Wine Bar to host the owner of Trimbach winery Jean Trimbach.  Trimbach is one of Alsace’s top wineries and we have an incredible line-up of wines to show tonight including a bottle of that 2001 Cuvee Frederick Emile that was the star of our tasting last year giving you perspective on just how well the top level wines of Alsace will age.

Alsace is part of France today, but its wines resemble those of Germany more than the rest of France with Riesling and other aromatic whites making up the majority of their production along with a tiny bit of Pinot Noir.  The wines of Alsace are varietally labeled and they seem a bit easier to understand than the rest of France which doesn’t usually put the grape varietal even on the label.

Join us as we welcome Jean Trimbach to South Florida for a tasting of the newest releases from this legendary winery.  Chef Toni Lampasone will be making a special meal to accompany these wines and the fee for this event which includes dinner is $125 + tax.  For reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

 

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Trimbach Alsace Wine Tasting
with Special Guest Owner-Jean Trimbach
Tuesday, February 11th, 2020
7:30pm
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Trimbach Pinot Blanc 2017
Price: $15.75   Sale $13

A wine for pure pleasure! Maturing early, it is dry, well-balanced, supple and refreshing. Pinot Blanc is ideal for serving as an aperitif, at formal dinners, receptions or light meals.

Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve 2016
Price: $23.75   Sale $20.90

One of the most remarkable of Alsace grape varieties which combines a full-bodied, heady but dry fruitiness. Its generous personality and its hint of smokiness make it the perfect accompaniment for a wide variety of gastronomic dishes.

Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve Personnelle 2014
Price: $48.50   Sale $42.68

In exceptional years, a selection of the best parcels (including Grand Cru Osterberg) produces a wine of great maturity, opulence with succulent fruit. The long development of the wine is synonymous with its long ageing potential, 10 years and more.
This highly complex, broad and voluptuous wine, retains its structure thanks to its vitality.

Trimbach Gewurztraminer 2016
Price: $26.00   Sale $22.88

The fruitiest and the spiciest of the varietals – a unique wine.
It is in Alsace that this grape variety reaches the height of perfection.

Trimbach Riesling 2016
Price: $19.50   Sale $17.16

“One of the world’s finest grape varieties!”
Riesling is the most emblematic of Alsace grape varieties.
Its delicate bouquet, the fine balance between its dry personality, its distinguished fruitiness and its natural vitality contribute to its exceptional richness.
As the house style dictates, it is vinified dry.

Trimbach Riesling Frederick Emile 2011
Price: $85.50   Sale $75.24

The south and south-east facing Ribeauvillé terroirs and Grand Crus of Geisberg and Osterberg which overlook the winery have been producing this wine for several generations.
Not mentioning the Grand Cru on the label was our choice back in the 70’s.
Today, CFE is considered a benchmark of Grand Crus Riesling even though the labels does not say the names of the vineyards. It is our Signature wine.
The average age of the vines, 45 years, results in limited yields. The marl-limestone-sandstone and fossil-flecked Muschelkalk composition of the terroir, as well as the beautifully ripe grapes selected and harvested at the end of October lend this wine a remarkable personality: a dry and powerful Riesling, underlined by a mineral note and firm ripe acidity.
This wine is named for Frédéric Emile who became famous for providing a new guarantee of quality and authenticity for Trimbach in 1898.
The prestigious signature wine of the house, the “Cuvée Frédéric Emile” is highly prized by connoisseurs and collectors.

Trimbach Pinot Noir Reserve 2017
Price: $24.75   Sale $21.78

The “Réserve” Pinot-Noir develops red fruit aromas and is supple, fruity and fresh on the palate.

Trimbach Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive 2014 (375ml)
Price : $43.50  Sale $38.28

Reserved for the four noble grape varieties; Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling or Muscat grapes, picked when over-ripe a few weeks after the official start of harvest. The grapes, generally affected by noble rot, are selected from only the best vineyards and only in exceptional years.
The “Vendanges Tardives” wines retain natural residual sugar which is in perfect balance with their delightful freshness. These wines are wonderfully intense and have an exceptional finish.
 The “Vendanges Tardives” Gewurztraminer, very fruity and charming, boasts a delightful purity. It is often served by the glass due to its delicious freshness and its harmonious balance.

 

Menu

Selection of Charcuterie and Cheese

Flammekueche

Choucroute Garnie

Grape Tart

 

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $125 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.  Please let us know when you make your reservations if you don’t do Flammekueche (it has bacon in it).

 

A bit of history about the Trimbach Family:

The viticultural origin of the Trimbach Family dates back to 1626, when Jean Trimbach, who had come from Sainte Marie aux Mines, was recognized as a citizen of Riquewihr. From then on, the Trimbachs became renowned for their wine-growing.

Jean-Jacques Trimbach, born in Riquewihr on the 6th February 1633, and later his son Jean, born on the 18th March 1677, were successively mayor of the little village.

The next Jean-Jacques Trimbach, born in 1750, decided to become a master cooper - an activity which fitted in admirably with the viticultural vocation of the Family.

The Family tree continues with Jean-Louis Trimbach, born on the 12th of May 1783, whose son Jean-Frédéric, born on the 18th of June 1811 took an important position in what used to be called the wine « gourmetage » in the village of Hunawihr, well known for its excellent wines and especially for its Riesling. The transfer of his activities to Hunawihr dates back to the 1840's. He was the mayor of the village for many years.

His oldest son, Frédéric Emile, born in Riquewihr on the 20th of December 1839, stepped into his shoes in Hunawihr. Frédéric Emile really developed the business on the lines of the present House of Trimbach. He gave the firm his two initials « F.E » which have been kept ever since.

The highest quality certificate given to Mr F.E. Trimbach for his wines at the international show of Brussels in 1898 testifies to their already established prestige.

To extend the business his son Frédéric Théodore, born in Hunawihr on the 5th of November 1875, transferred the Trimbach firm to the medieval town of Ribeauvillé soon after World War I. He was one of the founders of the wine-growers and merchants' Association and one of the first promoters of Alsatian wine. As an outstanding taster, his judgment was sought after in the whole Alsatian wine growing area.

For almost four centuries, the Trimbach Family has been promoting Alsace and its History, its exceptional terroirs and fine wines. Maison Trimbach is still located in Ribeauvillé and still owned by the two grandsons of Frédéric Théodore, Bernard and Hubert, since their father's untimely death in 1945.

Pierre and Jean, Bernard's sons, the 12th generation, have joined the Firm in 1979 for Pierre and 1985 for Jean to work on the vinification for the first one and on the promotion of the wines for the second one.

Anne, the eldest of the 13th generation, has just joined the Family Business.

 

The rest of the Trimbach wines available at Wine Watch:

 

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Trimbach Gewurztraminer Ribeaupierre 2008
Price: $58.50   Sale $51.48

The predominately “Keuper” marl-limestone soils on which it is produced lend this rare wine a full and powerful style.

Produced from old vines from the former wine estate of the Lords of Ribeaupierre, the grapes are selected and harvested at the peak of their ripeness. It is a wine with flowery and spicy aromas and a dry personality, and yet so rich and so fruity that it almost hints at sweetness … a mere illusion.

In youth, the roundness and viscosity can mask its typical dryness as well as the underlying finesse which is the Trimbach trademark.

This Gewurztraminer is only produced in the very best vintages and it can be cellared for ageing for up to 20 years.

Trimbach Riesling Geisberg 2011
Price: $93.00   Sale $81.84

We have been leasing the Vineyards of the Convent of Ribeauvillé for several years now. In 2009, we have produced our first Grand Cru Geisberg. 2011 is the second vintage to be released.

Pierre Trimbach and his team have been working the Grand Cru Geisberg behind the domaine for years, this one being assembled with GC Osterberg into the famous Frédéric Émile. Their knowledge of this terroir has enabled them to produce a great wine on these 2,66 ha from the Convent.

The Geisberg is a jewel of Alsace. Located in between two other Grands Crus on Ribeauvillé’s fault line, the limestone and sandstone subsoil, the old vines, the exposure to the sun and the small steep terrasses make it a very unique and complex terroir of only 8,5 ha total.

The wine is intense and has a great energy. A gastronomie wine able to age between 10 to 30 years in the top vintages.

It is the first wine from a Grand Cru named after its terroir, following the wish of the Nuns of Ribeauvillé’s Convent and the new local GC Legislation from 2011 onwards, which is now well designated by a very precise chart managing the yields (55hl/ha max), the minimum potential alcohol at picking being 11,5°, chaptalization being forbidden, etc…
A very limited, almost confidential production…

 

Trimbach Riesling Schlossberg 2016
Price: $99.00   Sale $87.12

In 2012, our Family bought 2 ha of the well reputed Grand Cru Schlossberg. The first vintage produced is 2014, an excellent vintage for pure and crystalline rieslings.
It’s the beginning of a collection of Grands Crus Rieslings at Trimbach, next to our jewels, Frédéric Emile and Clos Ste Hune.

Grand Cru Schlossberg has a granitic terroir: granite from Thannenkirch above Ribeauvillé and granite migmatite from Kaysersberg.

Planted in horizontal terrasses, south facing, located next to the castle, just under the forest, the vineyard benefits from a cooler microcosm.

This riesling is delicate, dry, precise and able to age for at least 10 years.
A very limited, almost confidential production…

 

Trimbach Riesling Clos St Hune 2013
Price: $325.00 Sale $286.00

 

Trimbach Riesling Clos St Hune Magnum 2013
Price: $729      Sale $641.52

This exceptional wine is a product of the terroir in the “Rosacker” vineyard, located in the village of Hunawihr. This parcel of land, which stretches over 1.67 hectares, has been in the Trimbach family for more than two hundred years.

The south, south-east facing vines are on average  50 years old and lie on a predominantly limestone subsoil. These factors give this Riesling a unique flavor of remarkable fruit concentration,   enhanced by a refined hint of minerality on the finish. After a few years of ageing, the typical characteristics of the “Clos Sainte Hune” terroir vibrantly shine through the glass.

The small annual production of 8,000 bottles on average, makes this wine an extremely rare treasure, much sought after by Riesling lovers and collectors across the globe.
Trimbach’s “Clos Sainte Hune” wine has an exceptional ageing potential as it can age seven to ten years after bottling without even reaching its peak.