We’ve all had our fair share of great wines, but every so often one comes along that just hits different, where each deeply flavorful, high-toned note refuses to recede. Typically, you can chalk that up to a right-place/right-time experience or a simple stroke of luck, but not when Trimbach is the wine in question. This is among the world’s most classic producers, one I’ve frequently crossed paths with since starting out in the business some 15 years ago. Yes, the iconic label certainly adds to the allure, but leaving it there would be a catastrophic disservice: Trimbach is operated by a 14-generation winemaking family that’s accumulated nearly 400 years of expertise. They have become absolute masters of their region, bottling wines with a perfect, profound sense of place that can age for decades on end. And today, we have one of their darling creations: the 2011 “Cuvée des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre,” a multi-dimensional, fathoms-deep Gewurztraminer coming from their top parcels in the best years.
There’s a reason this variety is one of the famed “noble grapes” of Alsace, that sommeliers-in-training fervently commit it to memory, and that Trimbach’s unrivaled expression decorates the greatest wine lists of the world—it’s a transcendent, resolutely classic wine. So, you can imagine our euphoria when we visited their iconic cellar in 2018, met with Pierre Trimbach (a legend who’s crafted over 40 vintages), and tasted through a number of exorbitantly expensive “Clos Ste. Hune” bottlings, massively concentrated SGNs, and everything between. It was here that we learned Pierre had a major soft spot for Gewurz, and after you taste today’s deeply special 2011 bottling, it’s easy to understand why. To be clear, this is a full-bodied, highly expressive, intensely exotic, DRY Gewurztraminer that will bewitch and bewilder your senses. It’s downright phenomenal right now, although there’s 10, even 20, more years of life to be had. This was a rare, one-time find for us, so please don’t miss out!
Stationed in the ancient and equally charming village of Ribeauvillé, Maison Trimbach has been involved in Alsatian wine since 1626, so our visit in 2018 was like being instantly transported to the days of yore. Their cellar is fusty, dusty, and dimly-lit. It contains nooks holding massive, century-old barrels, claustrophobic rooms retrofitted with ceramic and stainless steel vats, and walls peppered with small iron vaults holding pre-World War II wines. In other words, their cellar holds immeasurable wisdom, which is why winemaker/legend Pierre Trimbach is the perfect man for the job: he’s currently vinifying his 41st vintage with Trimbach!
Trimbach makes an arsenal of classic, affordable Alsatian wines, and is most famous for their rare “Clos Ste. Hune” Grand Cru Riesling, a wine that redefines the meaning of minerality and ageability. But there’s also another range in their portfolio, known as “Réserve Personnelle,” that holds three epic cuvées sourced from their top vines in the very best years: a Riesling, a Pinot Gris, and today’s “Cuvée des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre” Gewurztraminer. Sourced from their best old plots in the town of Ribeauvillé, some of which bleed into Grand Cru Osterberg, grapes for this special cuvée were harvested by hand as late as possible to ensure rich and ultra-concentrated berries. In the winery, the grapes were gently pressed and the juice flowed into stainless steel tanks via gravity. From here, the juice was vinified until fully dry (less than two grams of residual sugar) and further aged until bottling in 2012. This tiny parcel has lived in a dark, temperature-controlled environment ever since.
This 2011 is a rare bottling from Trimbach for a reason: It’s full-bodied, explosively perfumed, and immensely powerful. It displays a deep yellow-gold in the glass and immediately fires out intense spices, florals, and fruits like apricot, lychee, honey, stewed pear, quince, bergamot oil, gardenia, grapefruit, white mushroom, rose water, exotic spice, and Trimbach’s signature crushed mineral component. This is a massive and luscious wine that speaks to the sheer ripeness and concentration of later-harvested Gewurztraminer, but it ultimately finishes bone-dry with sparkling minerality—something only iconic producers can master. The palate spills out intoxicatingly rich layers of sweet fruit and thunderous minerality that is enhanced by savory undertones and incredibly persistent energy. It is a perfectly balanced wine, and each sip brings soaring buoyancy that defies the stereotypes of Gewurz. Plus, it is nowhere close to showing fatigue: I expect this to continue pulsing for another 10-15 years, easily. Serve in Burgundy stems, around 50 degrees, and savor it slowly like you would a fine Sauternes or aged Bordeaux. Cheers!
