N/V Louis Albrecht Cremant d'Alsace Brut Rose

This was on sale at Whole Foods for $18...some places have it for a few bucks less, some for a few bucks more.

A bit of a Fufu Berry nose....Fufu Berry is a Jones Soda flavor, I don't believe such a thing exists in nature.

Cranberry domination. This would be a fine Thanksgiving wine actually....nice fruit, not bone dry but not sweet, not too toasty though some is present, and fine acid make it a good food match. Nice.

While the palate struck me as a real fruit, the finish brings the Fufu back.

If you're considering bubbly next Thanksgiving - and you know what, you should - this would be a solid offering.

Score: 88

2004 The Furst Vin d'Alsace Riesling

So I was at a performance of a local theater company which had a silent auction going. They had a few different lots of wine which I bid on, and won. This is one of the wines in question. At a retail cost of $12, this is almost certainly too old to drink.

A slight petrol thing, some floral notes, with an array of unripe tropical fruit - pineapple and papaya.

Not a hint of sugar on this one - dry to the bone. A dried unripe fruit quality - take an unripe pineapple and dehydrate it, it probably tastes like this. Maybe some peach or nectarine, even melon of the cantaloupe variety, even a bit of green grape - once again, all unripe. Some floral qualities too, this may be the first wine (in quite a while, if not ever) that I've gotten very distinct rosewater from. Don't drink this one any colder than "cool," it is far better closer to room temp.

The dry, unripe, dried fruit thing continues on the finish.

Certainly well made, but not quite to my palate. If you have one of these in the cellar, it's probably time to pop it open.

Score: 85

2006 Pierre Sparr Extrem Riesling Alsace

This was on super ultra mega discount - kicking it down to three bucks from I think ten. Not only is it an EXTREM Riesling, it's also an EXTREM value! Remember kids, listen to Poochie and always recycle - TO THE EXTREM.

Enough joking, wine is serious business....TO THE EXTREM!

A somewhat gasoline fueled nose with a punch of lime....key lime, maybe....key lime pie, in fact.

Very light in body, somewhat light in acid, quite light on sugar, and somewhat light on taste - unripe nectarine dominates (sorta like if you absentmindedly take a bite out of a nectarine with the consistency of an apple) with a dash of lime rind. There's even a sort of cherry skin quality here - imagine peeling a Rainier cherry and just eating the skin - sorta like that. There's even a sort of good vodka like quality here - clean, smooth, not exactly burn, but certainly a spirit quality. Interesting.

Really more of the same on the finish - unripe nectarine, lime peel, and cherry skins.

This is the sort of wine that as it opens, I become more convinced of its quality - the first hour I wasn't quite convinced but after a couple hours, I feel this really began to shine. I am a stupid stupid human for only buying one bottle at three dollars. Stupid.

Wine: 7
Value: Yep, even at full price

2003 Domaine Bott-Geyl Pinot Gris Beblenheim

I have no recollection about why I bought this wine other than it was on clearance and ran me under $10....really, that's all the reason I need.

Interesting floral notes with some hints of gasoline.

I certainly didn't expect this. Rather acidic, some strange gasoline essence plus floral notes and quite a bit of tea – sort of like orange blossom tea sweetened with honey. The feel on the mouth is somewhat thin – so the flavor profile is somewhat like a very mellow and light Sauternes, but definitely not the same mouthfeel. Interesting, strange, not unlike anything I've had really. There seems to be just a kiss of oak here but I wouldn't bet my life on it.

The finish has a sort of fuzzy honey feel.

To my knowledge there is nothing on the label that would suggest this is not a typical Alsatian (dry) white, but as long as you know what you're in for this is definitely a wine I can recommend

2004 Domaine Jean-Marc Bernhard Grand Cru Mambourg Gewürztraminer

Another bargain from the clearance sale. This was severely reduced to under $8, but I couldn't tell you the original price.

A very big nose – I'm thinking canned pineapple.

Damn - this is a huge Gewurz. Honey, spiced stone fruit – peaches, apricot, even some pineapple and mango – solid acid – just big all around. Lots of floral notes, spice, and lychee. Big alcohol too – the label reads 14% - quite high.

Some nice spiced stone fruit lingers on the finish for some time.

This is good stuff – big yet balanced. It's surprisngly sweet for a wine from Alsace and there's nothing to suggest it, but I'd treat this as a dessert wine. If you tend to go for sweeter wines it may work with dinner, but I wouldn't recommend it.

2004 Domaine Bernhard & Reibel Vin D’Alace Gewurztraminer

Gewurz from Alsace is normally not our style but we really enjoyed this one at a recent tasting. The cost was about $16 or so.

A very spicy and floral nose, not much in terms of fruit, but plenty there.

The palate is very aromatic....lots of rose water and orange blossom, crisp acidity, a touch of sweetness, some light pink grapefruit and apricot.

The finish doesn’t bring all that much...it fades somewhat quickly but there is a lingering floral essence - more of that orange blossom - almost like a tea.

This is the type of wine I’d bet you’ll either appreciate or you’ll just hate....personally I don’t think I like it enough to buy again, but I’d have a glass at a wine bar because I appreciate what it brings...strange tastes and a nice complexity. It’s certainly not “quaffable”....it is a “wine drinker’s wine” to be sure.

2003 Bruno Sorg Muscat d’Alsace

We tend to avoid Alsatian wines...I like them more than Fran and I find some of them absolutely fascinating, but she can’t stand them. I noticed this at the local shop for $13 and I figured it would be interesting since, even if it’s bone dry, I’ve never had a bone dry Muscat, so why not?

Stone fruit on the nose, peaches, and some mineral as well.

The palate has more stone fruit. It’s not bone dry, but it’s certainly not sweet...hovering right on the edge I’d say. A touch, just a touch of honey and perhaps some green apple and even some strawberry. It certainly has a buttery feel, but I'm not sure if this has seen oak or not.

The finish fades quickly...I get some grapey flavors and that’s about it.

I wouldn’t buy it again, but if you are a fan of Muscat I would say it’s an interesting wine to try because you can clearly taste the varietal yet it’s different than any other one I’ve tried. I suppose the best way to put it is that I like this more for academic reasons than pure enjoyment.

2003 Pierre Sparr Gewürztraminer Reserve

Lychee and apricot on the nose.

It’s fruity–peaches/stone fruit but not all that sweet, I get lots of floral notes and a reasonable amount of honey. The finish does have a bit of spice, but not as big as I’m used to.

This is pretty much like this is what we’re used to (US style), only everything is a bit more subtle...slight sweetness, slight spice, but firm acid. I don’t say that as a bad thing really, because it’s all still balanced and not overwhelming as some other Gewurtz we’ve had tend to get.

I like this a lot, but Fran does not. Fran needs a bit of sweetness and lots of acid to balance it out.....I do prefer that, but this is still good. It maybe a “a bit” sweet but compared to a lot of the Gewurtz from Germany, this is bone dry.

It’s not bad, for a $13 Alsace Gewurtztraminer it’s a decent representation of the Alsatian style.

If all you know is Oregon and Germany for this varietal, I’d say pick this one up....it’s not as bone dry or pungent as some Alsatian Gewurtztraminer that I’ve had, but it’s heading down that road and worth checking out for that fact alone.