There were still many more wines to taste from Maison Trimbach and discussed and curated by Anne Trimbach at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  Besides the great staff at the store, they were being assisted by members of Palm Beach International the importer of the wines.  With the additional help, plus all of the loyal  wine lovers that frequent the shop, plus the special tastings, even with the new addition the shop was still crowded, which to a retired retailer is always a great sign.  I also will show you the pamphlet that accompanied the carte of wines being offered, plus I had the pamphlet autographed.  

We next enjoyed a tasting of Maison Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frederic Emile Alsace 2015.  Frederic Emile Trimbach was born in 1839 and it was during his term that the winery moved to Hunawihr and he eventually took over the helm of the estate.  In 1875, the Diploma of Honour at the Brussels International Fair was awarded to Frederic Emile Trimbach and in 1898 at the International Wine Fair in Brussels received the highest distinctions for his wines; this was a pivotal point for success and notoriety for the brand.  It so enhanced the estate, that his son Frederic Theodore Trimbach moved the family business to Ribeauvillé to make way for the expansion.  The house is still located there and under the continued leadership of later generations.  This wine is from a single plot that straddles Grands Crus Osterberg and Geisberg in Ribeauvillé, overlooking the winery.  The plot has marl calcareous-sandstone soils, south to southeast exposure on a steep slope and the vines are at least fifty-five years in age.  The fruit is hand-harvested, gently crushed by a pneumatic press and then vinified to dryness in Stainless-Steel vats and old casks.  No Malolactic Fermentation, or long aging on the lees; to preserve freshness and fruity aromas.  The wine is bottled in the following Spring and after seven years of aging in the cellar to develop its expression of terroir and an aging potential of an additional twenty plus years.  A soft golden color wine that offered notes of citrus, apricots, peaches, plums, white florals, and concentrated whiffs of lemon and smokiness.  On the palate this full bodied and well-balanced wine displayed tones of stone fruits, citrus with a very refined blend of a touch of sweetness and a touch of saltiness that ended with a long-count finish of fruit, limestone and smoke.

We then followed with Maison Trimbach Riesling Grand Cru Brand Vineyard Alsace 2020.  The Brand Vineyard located in Turckheim is one of the most reputed Grand Cru of Alsace and it is fifty-eight hectares of south to southeastern exposures on warm terroir based on two micas granite fields.  Trimbach’s parcel is almost one hectare in size and the vines average about seventy-years of age.  Brand Vineyard sits on the steep slopes at the beginning of the Vallée de Munster, its name from Old German for fire, a reference to the legend that a dragon and the sun once did battle there and how the sun warms its fine granite soils quickly.  The fruit is hand-harvested, then delicately crushed in a pneumatic press; vinified in a dry style in Stainless-Steel vats and old casks.  No Malolactic Fermentation or long aging on lees, in order to preserve freshness and fruity aromas.  The wine is then bottled in the following spring, and then a minimum of three years of aging in the cellar before releasing.  This pale golden colored wine offered notes of grapefruit, lemon, pears, green apples, flint, white florals, minerals and whiffs of petrol.  On the palate this medium-bodied wine with racy acidity displayed tones of lemons, green apples, pears, apricots and honey blending to end with a long finish of fruit, lemon zest and wet slate.