Alsace: Vintage Knowledge

Question 1

Alsace Vintage 2012

Answer 1

Drink 90 PTS-WS
A reduced crop of pure and elegant whites with good ripeness. Pinot Gris excelled; favor top producers for Riesling and Gewürztraminer

Question 2

Alsace Vintage 2013

Answer 2

Drink 89 PTS-WS
A small crop of racy whites, but generally lighter in stature; rainy October, but top sites and producers were successful. Not a year for VTs or SGNs

Question 3

Alsace Vintage 2014

Answer 3

Drink 88 PTS-WS
Successful Riesling and Pinot Gris; light-bodied and lithe in style. Gewürztraminer suffered due to the Asian fruit fly, and little to no VTs or SGNs were produced

Question 4

Alsace Vintage 2015

Answer 4

Drink or Hold 91 PTS-WS
Top producers countered drought conditions during the growing season to produce vibrant, balanced wines with up-front personality. Gewürztraminer excelled; little to no VTs or SGNs were produced

Question 5

Alsace Vintage 2016

Answer 5

Drink or Hold 90 PTS-WS
Erratic conditions during the growing season resulted in mildew and/or drought conditions. Leading producers made wines with good intensity in graceful, lighter-bodied frames, with Pinot Gris showing well; little or no VTs or SGNs produced

Question 6

Alsace Vintage 2017

Answer 6

Drink or Hold 92 PTS-WS
Severe frost in late April significantly reduced yields, but less so on hillside sites; excellent conditions during the summer and harvest resulted in concentrated wines of fine balance