2015 Riesling Réserve

Jean Trimbach was but one of many Alsace _vignerons who commented that 2015 was an outlier year, with “…essentially no water falling from the skies from the end of May to August 15; and I repeat, not one drop”. His brother Pierre added that “… the very small berries and thick skins explain a lot about the taste of wines from this vintage”. If all that sounds a little ominous, the good news for wine lovers (and collectors) is that Pierre also believes that the 2015 wines will prove similar to those of 1971, which is not just one of Alsace’s all-time greatest vintages, but, for what it’s worth, but also my favorite all time modern Alsace vintage (along with 1967), so I’d say that’s good news indeed.

This storied estate now owns 52 hectares (128 acres) of vines as they recently bought two hectares in the heart of the Brand Grand Cru, which is widely considered the best part. You might think that Trimbach is going “cru-crazy” (the estate also bottles a wine labeled Geisberg, while their cuvée M will soon be renamed with the Mandelberg Grand Cru name, which is what the “M” stands for), since Jean and Pierre Trimbach were once among the most opposed to the Grand Cru system. During my visit, the usual Trimbach stars (Clos and the Fréderic Emile) shone brightly, but I found the entry-level wines (Muscat, Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc) to be also especially noteworthy.