2005 Riesling, Cuvée Frédéric Emile, Trimbach, Alsace

Few grapes capture both delicacy and intensity like Riesling. Celebrated for its perfumed aromatics and razor-sharp acidity, this noble variety is capable of a remarkable range: from bone-dry, mineral-driven whites to unctuous, long-lived sweet wines. Whether grown on the slate slopes of Germany, the volcanic hills of Alsace, or the sunlit vineyards of the New World, Riesling expresses a sense of place like no other grape.

Although 50 percent of Alsace’s wine is still made by cooperatives, the region remains the source of some of the world's finest white wines. There are myriad reasons for this: its 47.5 degrees north latitude ensures high sunshine levels; its deep continental climate and diverse array of soil types; the cultural meticulousness of the local populace; and the choice of noble varieties such as Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer.

The House of Trimbach was established in 1626 and is now being run by the 12th generation of the family, Pierre and Jean. The family supervises all operations from planting and vinification to selection and bottling, giving them 100% control over production. If Zind Humbrecht produces wines of extravagant power at one end of the spectrum of excellence within Alsace wine making, then Trimbach definitely stands at the other extreme – “Restraint” is the watchword. The Trimbach style is paraphrased perfectly by Hubert Trimbach and the family itself – “Concentrated not heavy; fruity, not sweet; bracing rather than fat; polite rather than voluptuous". Trimbach wines are reserved, steely, elegant, even aristocratic; never obvious or flashy. "We are Protestants. Our wines have the Protestant style – vigour, firmness, a beautiful acidity, lovely freshness. Purity and cleanness, that’s Trimbach.” For those weary of the copious residual sugar found in so many of the contemporary Alsace wines, Trimbach’s are a refuge.