Lucien Albrecht Reserve Riesling – In Perfect Harmony

100% Riesling from Alsace, France.

SRP of $20 and available for as low as $14. Sample received courtesy Pasternak Wine Imports for review purposes.

From the bottle:

“Our Riesling Reserve is made from our best selection of this noble varietal. This wine is 100% Riesling and is distinguished by a piercing and beautiful aroma suggesting spring flowers. We consider Riesling one of the signatures of our “Maison”. We like to serve Riesling with seafood, seashell.

Maison Lucien Albrecht was founded in 1425 in Alsace and settled in Orschwihr in 1698. Today, our winery remains family-owned and managed. Our estate includes some of the most prestigious Alsace terroirs in the Grand Cru Pfingsberg and several superb monopoles including the famous Clos des Récollets. In our vineyards we emphasize a harmony with nature and, in our cellars minimal intervention in order to produce, in each vintage, hand-crafted wines that represent our terroir and family heritage.

13.0% Alcohol”

Riesling is generally regarded as one of the most important white varieties, along with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, even though its popularity is not as high as those other two. Even so, it seems to be the white wine that gets talked about the most by the hard core wine geeks. And it’s with good reason, as it’s one of the few white varieties that can improve with significant aging.

Riesling is grown all over the world, but it tends to express itself differently within each region. And perhaps one of the best regions for Riesling is Alsace, France where today’s wine is from. In Alsace, Riesling can be traced all the way back to the 1400s and today it accounts for about 20% of the vineyard plantings.

Today’s wine also comes from Lucien Albrecht, a producer we are very familiar with having tasted their delicious Gewurztraminer Reserve as well as two fantastic sparkling wines, the Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rosé and the Blanc de Blancs Cremant d’Alsace Brut.

But on to today’s wine! The 2009 Lucien Albrecht Reserve Riesling begins with a very nice aroma of flowers and some lightly spicy apple notes. The wine tastes really lovely with apple and pear flavors and good acidity. Delicately sweet and delicious is the best way to describe this very refreshing wine. The finish features just a bit of flinty minerality underneath some slightly sour apple notes. A wine that is quite enjoyable to drink and has a wonderful harmonious quality to it!

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

Find out more about my rating system and check out the Wine Ranking to find all my reviews! You can sort by type of wine, cost, rating, etc. in the interactive spreadsheet.