I was poured today’s wine in a blind tasting recently and nearly knocked off my chair by its combination of microscopic detail, mineral power, and deep fruit. Rarely does a dry white wine harness such immense depth and complexity. After savoring the last whisper of its nearly infinite finish (and politely requesting a second, larger pour), I was certain it was top-priced Grand Cru Alsace Riesling from the exceptional 2015 vintage.
When the label was revealed, it proved to be one of my favorite small estates working a seven-century-old Grand Cru vineyard. My one miscalculation was the price: Though their quality and pedigree stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best in the region, Domaine Schoech’s wines—even today’s Grand Cru “Furstentum” (fur-STENT-um)—remain a ridiculous value. I’ve said before that truly elite, Grand Cru quality at a modest price is a rare thing, and when I encounter it, I immediately purchase as much as I can. We have very little inventory available to share today, but I promise you this is a uniquely outstanding wine being offered at a shockingly fair price. Don’t miss it!
[**Please Note: This wine is arriving from New York and will ship from our warehouse the week of October 15th.]
Another thing I’ve said before is that Alsace may be the most breathtaking wine region on earth. It holds deep sentimental importance for me, and as such, I’m extremely selective about the region’s wines. We might only offer two or three Alsatian whites on SommSelect per year. That’s not because the region isn’t overflowing with some of France’s most historic and impressive whites—and the country’s ONLY Grand Cru Riesling. It’s because of the prices. For instance, one of my favorite Alsace Rieslings is Trimbach’s “Clos Sainte Hune” (a sub-parcel of Grand Cru Rosacker, just a few miles north of Furstentum) which currently retails for $275 a pop. So, rather than cramming a bunch of extremely expensive Alsatian whites into your inbox, I prefer to hold my fire and wait for the rare instances wherein top quality meets a reasonable price.
So, Riesling: Do you ever wonder why so many sommeliers call it their favorite grape? Riesling is one of the most age-worthy varieties on the planet and it’s a chameleon capable of expressing even the most subtle distinctions of various soil types. Those who question the concept of terroir need only compare a glass of slate-grown Riesling to that of a neighboring limestone parcel—they will encounter two dramatically different wines. Terroir is a real thing and few grapes illustrate the concept as definitively as Riesling. Moreover, there’s no more versatile wine with food, period.
Most wine professionals will agree that Riesling achieves its most transcendent expression in three ancient growing regions: lower Austria, southwestern Germany, and Alsace. Germany has perfected the art of chiseled, angular Riesling, while the Austrian “house style” generally balances both precision and weight. Still, if you seek the absolute maximum in texture, depth and power, Alsace is your destination (note: some Austrian producers bring some competition with full-bodied Smaragd styles in the Wachau). But Alsace remains a challenge for sommeliers and consumers alike: Mediocre, semi-sweet white wine from the region crowds retail shelves in the US. With little in the way of classification or labeling standards, it’s often challenging to determine what’s in a bottle of Alsace Riesling until after the cork has been pulled. So, before going any further, let me be 100% clear: This is a deliciously dry wine!
Today’s bottle hails from the seven-century-old Alsace Grand Cru vineyard, “Furstentum.” Furstentum clings precariously to a steep, 37% grade hillside in the Vosges mountains at 1,200-1,400 feet elevation. Soil is a mix of sandstone, limestone, gravel, and exposed bedrock and the vines that produce today’s wine are farmed organically. In the outstanding 2015 vintage, Sebastien and Jean-Léon Schoech used their Furstentum fruit to produce a wine of momentous power, breathtakingly vivid fruit, and laser focus. At first, it’s a blast of pomelo, white nectarine, and lime blossom. Shortly after, the ample fruit aromatics are absorbed into a solid wall of calcareous minerality before atomizing into a fascinating finish with notes of white mushroom, lime leaf, and white stone that continue echoing long after the last sip has disappeared. The wine is a child genius now, but the real magic will occur after the wine’s 10th birthday, so please try to put some away for the long haul since it will last decades if kept well. When enjoying before 2020, please decant the bottle for 60 minutes and serve in large Bordeaux stems around 55 degrees to experience all this wine has to offer. If you can summon the restraint, I strongly encourage you leave a little extra wine in the bottle to experience on days two and three. As it sees extended exposure to air, you’ll enjoy a sneak preview of the exotic fruit and mysterious savory notes that will emerge 5-10 years from now. But in the meantime, invite your best friends over on a cold upcoming winter evening and open a bottle or two of this dry Riesling alongside the most classic dish in Alsace: choucroute garnie. It will be an incredible memory for all those who are there.
