07 Ott Domaine Weinbach, the wines

Gewurztraminer cuvée Laurence 1995
Very fleshy, almost surprisingly so. No trace of bitterness sometimes found in older versions of gewurztraminer from lesser producers. Actually sweet, almost a vendages tardives. Very, very good and ageing beautifully.

Riesling cuvée Ste. Catherine Schlossberg 1995
Slightly golden reflections in an otherwise pale lunar yellow colouration, nose of noble petrol and slatey reminiscences. Overall, this one is almost restrained, but it has lost some of the austerity and acid edge of its youth. Typical minerally edge, like sucking on wet stones, but a pleasant endeavour at that!!! Very persistent, long, a beauty.

Gewurztraminer cuvée Theo 1996
Not a particularly noteworthy year for the grape, this bottle is nonetheless pleasant, and actually a good example of gewurz despite the year. Nice colour, typical lychhe fruit nose and a good backbone of acidity that holds it altogether.

Gewurztraminer cuvée Laurence 1996
Always my favourite, a beauty. Yellow with some golden nuances, a beautiful tropical fruit nose but one that has class. Loads of grip here, nicely ripe and elegant, with years still ahead of it. An example of the grape that has class, not always found.

Riesling Schlossberg 1996
Lighter yellow in colour than the gewurzes, this one has a deep minerally and kerosene nose to it that lasts and lasts…a profound wine from deceptively ripe grapes. It is however, quite dry, and keep in mind it ought to age extremely well.

Tokai cuvée Ste.Catherine 1996
A less oily version than other Alsatian pinots, refined as all the wines of the estate are. Slightly off-dry, with nuances of flowers of the fields and mango on the nose. Some tasters found papaya on the palate.

Sylvaner 1996
I like it! Ripe and juicy, with the telltale green apple nose and taste of all the best examples of the grape. Balanced and harmonious, and still a joy to eat with, showing that sylvaner, when well made, can age quite nicely.

Riesling Schlossberg 1997
Almost austere right from the colour, a pale yellow hue that echoes the elegance of the nose (wet minerals again), extremely persistent on the palate, with a razor sharp tactile sensation that just makes you want to drink more and more.

Tokai vendages tardives 1997
Excellent, exactly what one would expect from the grape and the vendages tardives qualification…sweet but not cloying, very persistent and quite pleasantly viscous, it is an effort that only confirms this estate’s ability with late harvest wines.

Tokai cuvée Ste.Catherine 1998
This one appealed less to our tasting panel, who found it to lack the complexity or the nobility one usually associates with the Cols des capucins grapes…I feel it is just still too young, and needs some time to develop more nuances. The glycerin mouth feel and tell-tale pinot gris characteristics are all there, but this is one wine you may want to lay away for another 2 to 4 years.

Sylvaner 1998
Very nice yellow colour with pale green tinges, a nice core of green apple fruit on the nose, but also some mineral and white flower sensations come through. The mouth is actually quite important, of real structure, slightly fat, but always with an underlying elegance that makes this wine a real joy to drink. The price was felt to be somewhat high by some of our tasters, though.

Pinot blanc-auxerrois 1998
Made with pinot blanc and auxerrois, a very fresh, well made wine of some structure, that can serve just as easily as an aperitif or accompany sauced up pasta and white meat dishes.