Trimbach Riesling "Cuvee Frederic Emile" 2017
(Alsace, France) - [WE 97] [VM 95+] [JS 95] [WS 94 & #89 Top 100 of '24]

About the Winery:
The Trimbach’s have a purist vision. For three centuries and across 13 generations, the family has produced wines that are structured, long-lived, fruity, elegant and balanced: the celebrated Trimbach style. The family personally looks after each operation, from planting to harvests and from vinification to bottling. The viticultural origin of the Trimbach family dates back to 1626, when Jean Trimbach, was recognized as a citizen of Riquewihr. From then on, the Trimbach’s were renowned for their wine-growing. Maison Trimbach’s vineyards are all situated around Ribeauville (Ribeauville, Hunawihr, Bergheim, Rorschwihr, Riquewihr and Mittlewihr). They benefit from the unique Alsatian microclimate, thanks to the Vosges Mountains protection, which preserves the plain from the rain. The vineyards were planted on the Ribeauville’s fault line that fractured 50 million years ago between the Vosges Mountain range and the Black Forest offering a mosaic of terroirs including the complex calcareous limestone and bio-degraded seashell fossils called “Muschelkalk.” In the 1960’s, the Trimbach family decided that it was time for a second great dry Riesling, thus Cuvée Frédéric Émile, the signature wine of the Trimbach family was created.

About the Wine:

TERROIR & VINTAGE NOTES:
The plot of the Frédéric Émile straddles the Grands Crus Osterberg and Geisberg in Ribeauvillé, overlooking the winery. The plot has marl-calcaro-sandstone soils, south-southeast exposure, steep slope, and old vines 55+ years old.

WINEMAKING & AGEING:
The grapes are crushed and delicately pressed in a pneumatic press, then vinified to dryness in stainless steel vats and old casks. No MLF, or long ageing on lees in order to preserve freshness, liveliness and fruity aromas.
The wine was bottled in spring. After seven years of ageing in the cellar the wine expresses all its potential to develop further, expressing its terroir, with aging potential of 20+ years.

TASTING NOTES:
This wine reveals a great aromatic complexity. Citrus, white flowers, and flinty mineral notes. The mouthfeel is ample and rich, while remaining precise balanced by chiseled acidity. This vintage is characterized by its freshness with tension, finesse and minerality. Perfect with oysters, langoustines, lobster, grilled fish or fish in white butter sauce as well as roasted poultry, sweetbreads, dishes with chanterelle mushrooms, potato gratin and vegetables.

GRAPE VARIETIES: 100% Riesling

WINEMAKER: Pierre Trimbach

TECHNICAL DATA

Acidity: 3.13
Alcohol: 13.2%

Ratings & Reviews:

97 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"Tart lemon has an edge of softness reminiscent of a fresh Mirabelle tart. The palate of this wine majors on bright lemon juiciness with mouthwatering efficiency. For now, the wine is tight, clenched and needs to come out of its shell and share its stony secrets. It offers wonderful concentration, poise and a bone-dry finish." - Anne Krebiehl (May 2020) 

95+ Points - Vinous Media:
"Bright straw. Clean, vibrantly mineral and racy aromas and flavors of green apple, pear and lime. Ripe yet brightly acidic, this exhibits a penetrating quality on the long, juicy, ginger- and mineral-accented finish. Very compact, dense and still youthful Riesling. Outstanding. (Drink between 2026-2039)." - Ian D'Agata (Jan 2019)

95 Points - James Suckling:
"Poured from a magnum, this age-worthy wine is snappy and precise in texture, offering abundant minerals, orange zest and white peach in the aroma and crisp, stony flavors on the palate. Focused, invigorating and still young, it will drink best from 2028." (Jan 2024)

94 Points, #89 Top 100 Wines of 2024 - Wine Spectator:
"This shows the gentility of age, with spiced apple, pear jelly and quince flavors held aloft by lemony acidity and a solid foundation of chalky mineral. Lime zest, fennel seed and cool gravel line the compact, savory finish, which is slightly grippy in feel, giving impressive textural complexity. Drink now through 2032." - KB (Oct 2024)