Dopf Riesling & Gewurtztraminer 2003 Alsace
83 points
These wines are the low end of the spectrum from Dopf. A nice change of style from the typical Australian versions at about $14-$15 at Dan Murphy. The nose is extremely lifted on the Gewurtz, less so on the Riesling. Both wines have nice thick mouthfeel and good length. I found them a bit phenolic, but still enjoyable, easily varietally recogniseable and good drinking with slightly spicy chicken/fish.
posted by wine dog @ 5:23 PM
1 Comments:
I am a convert to this style of wine- albeit the one that got me started was at the top end of the spectrum. I love the oiliness of these wines- and the tightness of length that the better ones exhibit. The lower end of the spectrum can exhibit a coarseness that I do enjoy in moderation. I liken this to the maker “leaving the thorns on the roses”.
1996 Zind Humbrecht Gewürztraminer (Alsace, Fr.)
My first experience of this grape- tuned my favour to the variety immediately. This is definitely a bottle of wine that you need to share with friends (i.e. 3) as more than a glass is just gluttony.
Its aged hues were a sign of the beautiful things to come, and the nose was apparent even as the sommelier removed the cork.
The nose- musk, lychees and rose perfume. Soft, but very defined aromas.
Palate- as huge in the mouth as it was in the glass. I could almost feel the legs running down the enamel of my teeth. The oily nature, not flabby at all, covers every part of your mouth with lean dried apricot.
The Chase- excellent tight finish with a touch of pleasant acidity to finish the oiliness of the wine. A linger of more than a minute. It took me 40 minutes to finish a glass of wine without a conscious attempt to savour the moment (a rare occurrence:) Bliss!
Lawson’s Dry Hills (Marlborough, New Zealand) Gewürztraminer (2003- I think...)
A great find amongst the mountains of Sauvignon on my treck through the South Island of NZ.
I was really impressed by this wine. The great things that I liked about the Z.H, but for about a quarter of the price (ZH around 70 AUD retail, LDH around 19 AUD).
Slightly more course (I refer to the wine maker leaving the thorns on) with strong musk/lychee aromas. The lychee dominated the palate- as expected it did not have the age of the Alsace. Good finish, but lacking the acidity balance of the ZH. This left a pleasant pungency that I had not experienced before with the aged ZH. I took this to a wine tasting dinner- it stole the show. Needs to be drunk cold.
2003 Peregrine (Gibbston Valley, Central Otago, New Zealand) Gewürztraminer. Much better acidity balance than the Lawson’s- the finish was much tighter. This is expected being in the Otago region. Much colder region. Slightly more expensive than its NZ counterpart. With so much attention on Chardonnay (Gibbston Valley) and Sauvignon (Marlborough) as white varieties, this variety slips under the radar, and under my expectations of price for this wine. I hope that its apparent lack of popularity continues:)
You need some very rich seafood (i.e. crayfish, prawns, scallops) or just as the final wine of the night with some pungent cheese- i.e. blue or pungent Brie.
Pedro.
Post a Comment
<< Home