2012 Riesling Réserve

Trimbach is world-famous for its two iconic Rieslings, the Clos Ste. Hune and the Cuvée Fréderic Emile, but there are many other interesting wines in the estate’s portfolio. Their most important bottling in terms of sheer volume is their generic Riesling, but in fact there’s very little that's generic about it. “We’re undergoing a renaissance of Riesling," said Jean Trimbach in September. "We can’t seem to make enough, although in recent years we have noticed increased demand for our Pinot Gris as well.” It's worth noting that the Trimbachs are finally producing a bottling with the grand cru Geisberg indicated on the label; for the longest time, much like Hugel and Léon Beyer, the family refused to use grand cru names because they thought that many of these vineyards had been expanded to the point where they had lost their meaning.

Winemaker Pierre Trimbach believes that people worred too much about the 2012 vintage right from the start. “Some consumers may prefer the higher acidity of the 2013s, while others will enjoy the soft and juicy personalities of the 2012s," he told me.