2021 Trimbach, Pinot Blanc, Alsace, France.
The lightly golden pale Trimbach Pinot Blanc is crisp, tangy and bone dry with tart citrus, white peach and bitter almond paste leading the way on the light to medium bodied palate which feels smoothly textural as it opens, giving way to a nicely framed white wine that is best suited to have with soft farm cheeses and easy or delicate flavored seafoods. Hints of cider apples, wet stone, apricot flesh, herbs and unsweetened honey add to the complexity, while not rising to the level of excitement of Trimbach’s Riesling and Pinot Gris bottlings, which are standard bearers in the Alsace region. That said, the Pinot Blanc is well made, transparent and does the job envisioned, I certainly wouldn’t mind a glass as an aperitif and for those that want a subtle dry, less aromatic and austere or restrained wine will find this wine perfectly capable and pleasing.
The Trimbach Pinot Blanc, interestingly is a cuvée of 80% Auxerrois, formerly know as Pinot Auxerrois, and just 20% of true Pinot Blanc and comes from all organically grown grapes in the Ribeauvillé area, near the winery and the surrounding villages. Trimbach, one of the world’s most famous wineries and one of France’s great family run domaines, continues to be a star in Alsace. This Pinot Blanc bottling, part of what Trimbach calls their Classic Line is fermented and aged exclusively in stainless steel tanks with a short lees elevage to preserve freshness and purity of form. The vineyards for this wine are set on a mix of soils, mostly clay and limestone along with gravel and alluvial material, which provides the wine with, along with climate, a terroir influence and in most vintages, a ripe sense of concentration, with this 2021 being a bit less dense and higher in natural acidity. In recent years I’ve thrilled with nicely cellared Trimbach Rieslings, and the mentioned, Pinot Gris, which is a sleeper in the lineup, and it is always a treat to enjoy the wines from this historic property.
($22 Est.) 87 Points, grapelive