Un-Riesling-Able

Trimbach
Riesling
12.5% alcohol
$18
2003

Rieslings can be very confusing. Are they sweet, dry, fruity, earthy? And this 2003 Trimbach really confounded us. At first we thought the temperature of the wine was too warm. It was flabby and totally unremarkable. So we put the bottle back in the fridge to cool. We tried it again. And yes, this wine seemed to have improved, somewhat. There was more fruit and earth and less of that fat alcohol texture. Now, it did not have that characteristic kerosene taste of riesling that we have come to expect (and takes some getting used to, we might add), but much more mineral, think slate. Looking at the Vinicode, this was one of the driest wines we have had. That is to be expected from Alsace rieslings. The edginess is dependent upon the temperature; the warmer the rounder - to the point of being fat and slovenly. Rieslings should have a nice acidic backbone that this wine totally lacked. It was nondescript, so we gave it a five. We debated on the fruit and earth. Clare leaned toward earthy and Ted toward fruity (imagine that). So we split the difference. Overall we were totally unimpressed with this wine. (our preferred dry riesling might have a ViniCode™ that is something like 8 3 1 7 9 7) So we decided to do some research, maybe we just got a hold of a bad bottle. The first place we sought confirmation was on a vintage chart. We looked no more because we had the answer. 2003 was one of the worst vintages on record for the Alsace region of France. In fact, the chart recommended that these wines be avoided (see complete chart here). The hot Alsatian summer meant flabby wines. Too much ripe sugar, little bracing acidity in the grapes means a lackluster, namby-pamby riesling. So overall, this riesling was a medium bodied wine with a traditional oily texture. Luckily for us, rieslings are never oaked. Thanks goodness. Would we buy this wine again? Not 2003! In fact we are returning the selection to the store from which it was purchased. If the "wine expert" does not know of the vintage rating, they soon will! Most consumers depend upon the wine merchants to be up to date and informed. If this wine was your first foray into riesling, you might never buy another and that would be a shame. But we learned our lesson and we will not be seeking their advice anymore. Riesling is a noble grape, this wine makes that grape seem positively mediocre.