Some thoughts after tasting 70 alsatian wines on Thursday:
-I really like 2008 in Alsace. The wines are slim, mineral-driven with really great crisp acidities.
-Top quality pinot gris is better than you think.
-Basic alsatian wines are too expensive for their quality. Many producers deliver very nice grape-typical wines. But the cost is 150-200,- Nok. For that price I expect more. If you go to other regions for this price, they deliver more! This is really something to work on for the alsatian producers. Either by cutting the yields and get more minerality and interest in the wines, or simply lower the prices 20-30 Nok. One very honorable mention in this category goes to:
Anne-Marie Schmitts (Roland Schmitt) Riesling Glintzberg 2008. (Kr.165,-)
-Alsatian grand cru wines however are often in the price-range of 200-250,- Nok and do deliver a lot more intensity and mineralic depth. For this quite low increase in the price you get a lot more and the wines start to look very price-worthy. Especially with the increase in german grosses gewächs-wines. Wines especially worth seeking out were:
Anne-Marie Schmitts Riesling Altenberg de Bergbieten 2008 (Kr.227,-)
Leon Beyers Riesling Les Ecaillers 2004 (Kr.269,-)
Josmeyers Riesling Hengst 2007 and Auxerrois "H" vieilles vignes 2008 (not allowed grand cru from Hengst - Kr.230)
Weinbachs Riesling Schlossberg 2008.
-I don't get Marcel Deiss' wines. Bizarre!
-Zind-Humbrecht I get and the wines are good, but way too expensive.
Arnt Egil Nordlien
Notes: Jan-10