Among the important villages along Alsace's Route du Vin, Ribeauvillé is certainly one of three essential stops. At a minimum, it is known for the majestic Rieslings produced there, thanks to several great estates and three Grands Crus (Geisberg, Kirschberg de Ribeauvillé, and Osterberg) on the north side of the village.  The biggest and most famous estate is Trimbach, whose top wines are unsurpassed in quality, especially their two top Rieslings--Clos Ste.-Hune and Cuvée Frédéric Emile. Their spectacular Gewurztraminer Cuvée des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre becomes even more fathomless when cellared for a decade or more.  Other excellent stops include Jean Sipp and his cousin Louis Sipp.  Jean's wines are a bit more approachable, but age beautifully, and Louis' wines are stiff and intense, but soften with ineffable grace after many years of cellaring.  The local cooperative, CV Ribeauvillé is another great stop, with lovely wines (especially the Rieslings) from both Grands Crus and single vineyards, and an excellent blended wine from the Clos du Zahnacker, which is part of the Grand Cru Osterberg (though as a blend, it cannot be labeled as a Grand Cru).

Ribeauvillé is full of the history of Alsace.  Its patriarchs of centuries ago, the Ribeaupierres, built castles that now stand in ruins over the village, and one of the three annual festivals celebrates these departed counts, who considered themselves the patrons of minstrels.  The first Sunday in September is called the Fête des Ménétriers:  the fountain in the main square is filled with wine, so you can revel with ease while musicians and entertainers parade through the streets to the delight of the crowds of visitors and locals alike.  There is also a Fête du Kugelhopf in June, which celebrates the famous Alsatian brioche, where you can find the elusive and delicious kugelhopf au lard (a savory Kugelhopf made with bacon...mmmm!).

One of the world's greatest restaurants (Auberge de l'Ill) is a very short drive away in Illhaeusern, but there are several places that are more likely to keep you dining locally, for less expense.  There are two local restaurants that I enjoy (Clos St.-Vincent--a hotel surrounded by vineyards that is a marvelous lunch spot; rooms are expensive though; Hotel les Voges--sensational value for such excellent food; rooms are reasonably priced), as well as a famous winstub, Zum Pfifferhüss, which is always busy (book in advance!).

Popularity: 22% [?]

Nine Varieties--Each Bearing Its Own Name, Grand Cru...or Not
There are eight varietal denominations permitted under AOC Alsace: Chasselas, Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Pinot, Tokay-Pinot Gris (now officially just Pinot Gris), Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Sylvaner. Auxerrois has functioned as a phantom variety under the broad shouldered "Pinot" label, and has in the past been called 'Pinot Auxerrois' to ensure its use. Auxerrois yields such unique wine that it deserves the credit, and though it is not officially sanctioned under the law, more estates market Auxerrois eponymously each year. [There is a tenth variety that parades under the moniker of Klevener de Heiligenstein. This is actually an AOC Village wine made from the Traminer grape, and only permitted within the confines of the commune of Heiligenstein.]

With this range of wines permitted, all Alsatian producers sell a lineup of most of these wines. Most of these estates make at least a second tier: cuvées that they determine to be superior to a 'generic' varietal labeling, designated as a Reserve of some sort. After 1975, the Grands Crus further cluttered the stable of wines that estates offer, granting those lucky enough to hold some Grand Cru land another stratum of wine excellence to purvey. Alsace does not have a 'Premier Cru' tier like that of Burgundy, so the single-vineyard designation has become an important tool that estates can use to signify higher quality between Grand Cru and Réserve Personnelle.

I do not believe that a wine should be "pigeon-holed" in a way that makes any variance seem out of normal character. However, I do feel that there is a baseline sense of expression that a grape may have from a given macro-terroir (Yes, I know, that oxymoronic term alone flies in the face of the notion of terroir, but I'm using it in its secondary definition.) The basic character of each of the AOC Alsace grapes are as follows:

• Auxerrois--when yields are kept under control, a honeyed, spicy, buttered quality that is richer and more well-delineated than Pinot Blanc.
• Chasselas--Singing with freshness, it can be reminiscent of inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc, and a delight to drink; most is blended into Edelzwicker.
• Gewurztraminer--voluptuous and intensely aromatic, and odds are 50-50 that it will contain residual sugar; becomes more warming and gingerbread-like with maturity.
• Muscat--Intensely aromatic, bone-dry wine with fresh orange blossom scents when young; acquires a caraway tone when 10+ years old.
• Pinot d'Alsace--which is usually a blend (which can include the three Pinots and Auxerrois) that is too often underrated; succulent wine with a pie spice notion is common.
• Pinot Blanc--aroma is diaphanous, but flavors are commonly of rich and velvety yellow fruits.
• Pinot Gris--Has a more majestic quality than Auxerrois, but a some common flavors which are recast by this variety's higher acidity with a peach or apple essence.
• Pinot Noir--Made more seriously than in the past, but is often a lightweight, light-colored wine; when it is a deep red, it can still maintain a white wine freshness.
• Riesling--Generally bone dry, the best wines need a few years to ameliorate the intense lime-flavored acids, opening into a radiant, elegant, wine muscular enough to serve with beef.
• Sylvaner--in Alsace this variety is plump with a lemongrass and lentil quality.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Crémant d'Alsace
Crémant d'Alsace is Alsace's answer to Champagne. It is sparkling wine made in the method of Champagne, usually of Pinot Blanc with some Pinot Gris added in for definition. It is usually an incredible value, rarely topping $20, and always a first-class wine to serve at any festive occasion where finances are tight, or for many different foods: Alsace wines are incredibly food friendly, and Crémant d'Alsace is no exception.

And Now for the Really Obscure...
There are other styles of wine in Alsace, from Vin de Paille and Vin de Glace, which don't officially exist, to some AOC Village wines that are worth knowing about. The first is Klevener de Heiligenstein, made from the Traminer Grape, which is, according to some, the same as the Savignin Blanc grape that is widely grown in the Jura. The Klevener de Heiligenstein has so little in common with Savignin that many have balked at this, and after some analysis, it would appear that it is actually Savignin Rosé, a mutation of Savignin Blanc. A good Klevener de Heiligenstein resembles a rather demure version of Gewurztraminer.

The other AOC Village wines are made of Pinot Noir under labels like Rouge d'Ottrott, Rouge de Rodern, Rouge de St.-Hippolyte, Rosé de Marlenheim, and Rosé de Turckheim. The rosés generally offer a tasty rosé experience. The reds are rather insignificant, though I have had a Rouge de St.-Hippolyte that was a fine welterweight red. That it was from the excruciatingly hot 2003 vintage may have contributed to its richer texture and juiciness, but the man pouring it for me told me that Rouge de St.-Hippolyte is always better than the others. I wonder what someone from Ottrott or Rodern would say?

Vins de Pays in Alsace and the Vins de Table
There are two départements for Vin de Pays in Alsace--Vin de Pays du Bas-Rhin and Vin de Pays du Haut-Rhin. The same varieties allowed for AOC Alsace are permitted in the Vins de Pays. Those who are just outside the bounds of AOC Alsace make Vins de Pays. The wines have to be submitted for approval, but there is not much wine released every year under either of the Vins de Pays, in part because not many growers want to work outside of the AOC for the rather humbly perceived Vins de Pays.

Vins de Table are wines made from varieties not allowed in AOC Alsace or Vins de Pays. Chardonnay is represented in limited quantities in Alsace, but is not permitted for AOC wine, so it turns any AOC variety into a Vin de Table when it is in a blend. Vins de Table are non-vintage wines, whether the fruit is from a single vintage or not. Zind-Humbrecht makes a fine Vin de Table called "Zind" that is a blend of Chardonnay and other more typical Alsatian varieties.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Like Après-Ski without the Broken Leg
...or more accurately...
The Route to the Stickies
...starting with...
Vendange Tardive
There is a late harvest program in Alsace that is graded in two tiers. The first is the Vendange Tardive, which is often made from multiple passes through the vineyards (in which case it would be Vendanges Tardives) to pluck out the appropriate grapes for the kind of wine the estate would like to make. A Vendange Tardive (VT) must be pure varietal wine, no matter where it is from (Grand Cru or not), and only the four noble grapes (Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris, and Riesling) may be used. There are minimum requirements for grape sugars at harvest for the four varieties that must be met, and if they don't then no sugar may be added to meet the minimums (a common if misguided technique called chaptalization, usually used to make up for a cold growing season in non-late-harvest wines). There is also a specifically dictated date (a ban de vendange) after which growers may pick grapes that they plan to use for VTs. This is flexible year by year, and estates can appeal for an earlier picking date should their ripeness levels be ready for that. They also have to pass a tasting examination after they have been bottled. Jean Hugel led the charge on this, and you can read about it here.

Vendanges Tardives are typically not affected by botrytis cinerea, a.k.a. 'noble rot', though in some vintages this does happen. Vendanges Tardives are generally marked by the affects of a vine shutting down (i.e., sap recedes to the roots and the grapes begin to dry out on the vine. This process, known as passerillage, yields a spectacularly different wine from a wine that may have been picked a month earlier with similar sugar levels at harvest. Tasting a non-VT against a typical VT, there's no contest--the Vendanges Tardives wins every time.

Vendanges Tardives wines are a bit strange for consumers: it is difficult to predict which wine will be dry and which will be sweet without knowing the estate, and sometimes even then surprises may happen. However, I doubt anyone would really be able to tell much difference between a dry and a sweet Vendange Tardive, if only because the nature of the wine obscures any reasonable sugar content. Thanks to the tasting panel that approves the VTs, it is easier to rely on quality.

Makes Your Lips Tremble & Palms Sweat--Sélection de Grains Nobles
The context-oriented wines of Alsace--the sweet dessert wines, in other words--are the latest harvest known as Sélection de Grains Nobles (SGN). They are extremely rare and highly prized, and as a result are outrageously expensive to make your heart skip a beat or three. Of course, the flavor result is just as glorious as could be imagined, and this may ease the financial pain. Botrytis cinerea is the principle essence behind these wines. Alsace is not the ideal climate for this to happen, however, so part of the expense involved in these wines is due to the erratic nature of botrytis in this part of France. Like VTs, SGNs also have minimum sugar content levels, but these levels are set far below what they should be. A tasting panel also sits in judgment of these wines, but I don't feel this body is as strict with the definition of SGN as they should be. However, to do follow the letter of the law, if not the spirit of it.

Quality-conscious estates far exceed the sugar minimums proscribed by EU statutes, and some have even created new categories of SGN. Trimbach calls their extraordinary cuvées "Sélection de Grains Nobles Hors Choix", while at Weinbach they use "Quintessence de Grains Nobles". The quality of Sélection de Grains Nobles has improved immeasurably over the past thirty years, but this category is less well-regulated than the Vendanges Tardives, and so one need be careful, especially when buying a cheaper one. On the import market, things are better, as importers have no desire to sit on inventory if the word gets out that a wine is not up to expectations.

One of the most interesting things about SGNs is how hardy they are. I have had some that have clearly undergone some degree of oxidation, yet they taste as fresh and lively as they could. They appear to me to be more resilient than Sauternes, which is saying something. I have also had a fifty-year-old SGN of Pinot Gris so fresh and effulgent that you'd swear it had been made last year, had you not been weeping from the emotional roller-coaster that the flavors are putting you through. Or at least, that's how I reacted.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Pinot as Metaphor: The Blend is Back
The permissible variety of 'Pinot' is a of course the blanket for the family of Pinot grapes. The grapes included in this group are Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Auxerrois. There is a tradition of making single variety Pinot Blanc in Alsace, but the same name is more often used to as a euphemism for a blend of one of more of the grapes under this umbrella. So "Pinot" is actually one of Alsace's traditional blended wines, which often go under the labels of Klevner, Klevner d'Alsace, and Pinot d'Alsace, among others.

Gentil & Edelzwicker
So after all this talk of varietal labeling, the history of blended wines in Alsace is just as lengthy. There are two other commonly used names for blended wines, Gentil and Edelzwicker. Gentil, meaning noble, gives one the sense that such a wine has some pedigree, and this generally is true. The name is not in wide use today, because it was officially banned in 1973, but it was reintroduced in the early 1990s. J.-B. Adam makes a lovely Gentil that is an insanely good value, and Hugel makes a five grape blend called Gentil, but one of Hugel's most famous wines was their marvelous Gentil Sporen, a blend of Riesling and Pinot Gris from the what is now the Grand Cru Sporen.

Edelzwicker has a more complicated history, but it is actually an appellation in its own right. Until the early 1970s there were two categories of AOC blends in Alsace: Zwicker and Edelzwicker, with Edelzwicker being the superior wine. When Zwicker was eliminated as a qualitative level, Edelzwicker was itself devalued, so that now if a great estate makes an Edelzwicker, it is the kind that cherishes local history (Rolly Gassmann and Bruno Sorg come to mind). The more commercially conscious sell their blended wine under a proprietary name as Vin d'Alsace. Plenty of Edelzwicker is still made by...non-great estates..., but most of it is shipped across the Rhine to Germany to be choked down by the Germans (who created the Zwicker/Edelzwicker mess in the first place).

Great Alsace Blends
As I alluded earlier when referring to Hugel's Sporen Gentil, Alsace produces some sensational blended wines. If the tendency is to lump blends in with Edelzwicker exists, it is only for simplicity--the producers of top-class blends see no similarity between them. The proprietors who own vines in the Kaefferkopf vineyard resisted the offer of Grand Cru status because they refused to stop making the blended wines for which Kaefferkopf was known. Since Grands Crus could be made from but one variety, they had no wish to continue making non-Grand Cru blends from a Grand Cru vineyard when they could no longer even use the vineyard's NAME. In 2006 this changed, as the INAO allowed blends from the Altenberg de Bergheim Grand Cru to retain Grand Cru status, and they finally brought in Kaefferkopf (which was the very first officially delimited vineyard in Alsace, in 1932) as a Grand Cru that could be blended. In each case, specific yield limits and blend proportions were outlined, and thus has begun the first official recognition of the great blends of Alsace. Perhaps the Gentil Sporen will return from Hugel, should Sporen ever be sanctioned for blended wines (though occasionally the wine has surfaced as "S" Hugel). Another magnificent blend is Marc Kreydenweiss' Clos du Val d'Eléon, a blend of Riesling and Pinot Gris.

Popularity: 3% [?]

There are always controversies surrounding classification systems (witness the recent reclassification of St.-Émilion), and the wrangle surrounding the Grand Cru delimitation in Alsace is complicated. Or perhaps a simpler route was chosen because of the natural complicating factors inherent to the issue!

There are vineyards widely recognized for producing particularly grand wine, so it makes sense to want to highlight these tracts of land as superior. It gives consumers an indication of the quality of the wine in the bottle. The problem is, it is difficult to do this with an Alsace Grand Cru.

Bringing Home the Bacon
This is partly the fault of the selection process: the Alsace Grands Crus were determined through a democratic process, which involved lots of back-scratching, as such things do. The result of this is that the undeniably great vineyard sites were justly elevated, but several Grands Crus were created that, while indeed superior to most vineyards, just aren't up to the class of a true Grand Cru like Schlossberg or Rosacker. Think of it as France's version of a pork project for the local constituents.

Where to Draw the Boundaries
As an example, if I own three rows of Gewurztraminer vines in the Goldert vineyard (pretend it's the 1970s, when Grands Crus were being identified), and two of them are on calcareous soil and one is on a deep stripe of silty sand, the wine from the grapes on calcareous soil would have quite a different character from the wine from the grapes on sand. The sandy soil wine might be dull, while the calcareous one might be vivid and luxurious with an otherworldly character, or vice-versa, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that when we get around to talking about making Goldert a Grand Cru, I am going to want all three of my rows of Gewurztraminer to be in the Grand Cru--a simple economic decision. Grands Crus wines can command a higher price. If I fight for all three rows and win, then the vineyard is already bigger than it should be. If you don't draw the line somewhere, the vineyards will get too big, which is what happened in most cases.

Selecting the Right Grape
But what if you planted Muscat in that third row? Muscat likes that kind of soil, and is entitled to the Grand Cru label...but it doesn't sell as well. Perhaps I am persuaded to replant with Muscat, and in ten years it proves that sensational, Grand Cru worthy Muscat can come from that patch of sandy soil in Goldert. Meanwhile I've lost ten years of Grand Cru Gewurztraminer sales, which could be the difference in a relaxing retirement and no retirement.

So the Muscat is planted, but how does one know that the appropriate grape is growing on particularly suitable soil in other parts of the vineyard? Four grape varieties can lay claim to the Grand Cru moniker: Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris, and Riesling. They each thrive in their own range of environments and different soils, some of which intersect, but this isn't true for Goldert, so which one belongs where?

This brings us to the problem of Pinot Gris and Riesling in Goldert. Pinot Gris fares well in general, and from certain plots within Goldert, it simply has no peer in the world (try the Clos St.-Imer from Ernest Burn and you'll see what I mean), but it isn't on the whole as extraordinary as those from widely recognized Pinot Gris favoring vineyards like Grand Cru Steingrubler. Riesling from Goldert is good--well above average, actually. It is almost never supernal, though, and one really ought to expect that from Grand Cru Riesling. There have been some vintages when Goldert Riesling has provided illustrious examples of the cru so stimulating that the potential is certainly there, but in the end, this doesn't happen as regularly as it should in a Grand Cru. When the greatest asset of the region isn't regularly of Grand Cru quality, should that discount the Cru itself? I do not think so, but perhaps Riesling should be excluded. But that would give us one more thing to keep track of, which brings me to....

How to Buy the Good Wines
So Goldert is one of the greatest sites in Alsace for both Gewurztraminer and Muscat, and portions of it are unparalleled for Pinot Gris. Should we make things more confusing by allowing only the first two varieties Grand Cru status in this vineyard? Should a portion of the vineyard be redrawn for Pinot Gris use only? Should the wines be submitted to a tasting panel for approval? There is no good solution to this, just as there was no good way to get it all started.

Domaines now police this themselves fairly well, selecting the appropriate grapes for their land. I should say, the best estates do this, and that is an encouraging thing. This makes it nice for buyers outside France, as well, because importers choose the best wines for their markets. As demand for Alsace wine is woefully low, the selection has to be rigorous, and often Grands Crus are imported in small supply or left out altogether because of the present weakness of the Dollar.

Nowadays, it is safe to experiment with the Grands Crus that you can find, and it is worth it, because they are indeed a grand experience.

Popularity: 4% [?]