An iPhone ‘Notes’ search this morning fielded a 2019 entry reading: ‘buy 2015 trimbach’. It was shorthanded while tasting through the set just after release, and buy we did. The ’15 Freddy was by-the-glass at both Tribeca Grill and Bâtard for the better part of a year.
Today these ‘15s are evolving positively and haven’t yet shed the essential lemon/limestone appeal each had from the first. They show too the same lustre and pulsy energy, though acidities seem deeper inside the wines now. A recent bottle of ‘Clos Ste. Hune’ was brilliant, profound and subtle and introverted, with smoke and salt notes flecking the finish.
The vintage here trends more toward lemons than peaches which will appeal to those who prefer less varietality and more place in their wines. The rounded edges, supple middles, and determined energy that find these cuvées at their best feel especially forward this year.
Critic notes on the cuvées below:
‘The 2015 Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile is clear and intense but highly refined on the nose that perfectly blends mineral with concentrated lemon and smoky flavors. Round, concentrated and very elegant on the palate, this is a slightly sweeter than normal Riesling, but it is highly finessed, well-structured and perfectly salty with a long and tension-filled finish.’
Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
‘...[the 2015 Riesling Clos Ste. Hune] opens with a deep, ripe, precise and highly complex nose with nutty and lemon flavors. Powerful, rich, piquant and concentrated on the palate, this is a beautifully complex, highly elegant and salty Riesling with intense citrus flavors and great balance in the endless finish. This Riesling builds effortlessly in the mouth. Its acidity is perfectly integrated: richness and power are magnificently poised by finesse and elegance and don't weigh heavily. This is a truly great and mouthwatering Riesling in the dry style (bottled with 14 grams of residual sugar and 14% alcohol) and can age over decades. It is surely among the finest wines being produced in 2015 in Alsace and one of the greatest Saint Hunes I have ever tasted.’
Stephan Reinhardt, The Wine Advocate
Cheers,
Jason
