Wine Review of 2015 La Cave des Vignerons de Pfaffenheim Pfaff Riesling Steinert Grand Cru, Alsace, France
Score: 90/100
The Steinert vineyard is a Grand Cru site in the Alsace wine region of France, lying 13 kilometers (9 miles) south of Colmar town, and overlooking the village of Pfaffenheim.
It sits just below the Schauenberg mountain, known as the mountain of contemplation, which is considered to be an important place of mystical energy.
At Steinert, vines grow on relatively steep slopes, East-facing, and whose soils are made of limestone projections opposite the Alsace plain, the Rhine and the Black Forest.
Overall Tasting Impressions
A clean and zesty Alsace Riesling in an off-dry concentrated varietal style. Pungent citrus and tropical fruit characters meet the petrol and underlying spiciness we love in Riesling wine, delivered in a precise and shiny fruity complexity.
A wine to be paired with sweet/sour dishes, and a good partner for seafood entrees, fresh oysters, or creamy muscles, given you enjoy a hint of off-dry sweetness to your white wine.
Full Tasting Notes
This Grand Cru Riesling comes in a bright and shiny lemon-yellow color, of medium intensity with hints of green hues. The typical color of a dry Riesling, slightly pale and slightly green-ish.
The nose is also characteristic of a Riesling wine, bursting with lime aromas, and augmented by touches of tropical notes, like pineapple and mango, as well floral notes of elderflower, and a discrete hint of petrol. Luscious and fruity it smells, but pungently zesty from so much upfront citrus scents.
The palate is zesty with a clean and biting acidity, the citric type of acidity in fact with a salivating and crystal-like mineral feel, mirroring the big burst of lime flavors you experience during tasting. Think ‘mojito cocktail’ to get a sense of what it somewhat tastes like!
The wine is, surprisingly, quite sweet however for an Alsace Riesling. Not the frankly sweet type, but clearly with enough sweetness to be described as ‘off-dry’.
The sugars help balancing the sharp acidity, and they bring out the tropical flavors adding a sense of lusciousness. But they also weigh the whole, unless you like your Alsace wine a little sweet. It could be an advantage for pairing with sweet/savory foods in facts, like with Asian cuisine.
The finish is very varietal, delivering layers of petrol, kerosene, white pepper, and citronella. Zesty yet sticky at the same time, a stickiness amplified by the residual sugar.
Enjoy 🙂
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