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EP 804 2004 and 2006 Alsatian Riesling Tasting

Gary gets back to the Thunder Saddle after a very disappointing Jets loss. He tastes 2 vintages of Riesling from Alsace, a region that is underrepresented in many wine circles.

Wines tasted in this episode:

2006 Schlumberger Riesling Les Princes AbbesAlsace Riesling
2004 Leon Beyer Riesling Escaillers Alsace Riesling

Links mentioned in todays episode.


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luca bercelli

89/100

line of the day – ‘I reckon one day we’re going to have rock juice, because we want minerality in our bodies’

I actually laughed out loud at 17.21 – let’s face it, Gary is a funny guy

Tags: alsace, France, review, Video, white, wine, wines

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  • ONUMello

    I had seen Justin on Gourmet Library videos, but didn't realize he was your brother in law!
    QOTD1: I graduated from high school 6 years ago, and no, we didn't have any sort of car or mechanical classes
    QOTD2: I think I've only had 1 Alsactan wine, and it was a white blend. Certainly an area I need to explore more of, given that I do enjoy riesling.
    QOTD 3: I'm a milk-o-holic, and it goes with most any breakfast or dessert, just like coffee. I also like craft beers, which have about as many good cheese/food pairings as wine.

  • QOTD: Either a root beer float or Chimay (belgian beer) and paella. What about you Gary?

  • cdncartman

    Pepsi and popcorn at the movies…..

    at home, milk and pancakes.

  • milasdad

    Alsatian rieslings tasted: Albert Mann, Albert Boxler, Binner, Humbrecht, Trimbach, and Sparr.
    Lowest on the totem pole-Sparr, Trimbach, maybe the Binner. It's not that these were bad, just compared with the most interesting, vivacious rieslings-the Boxlers and the Manns, just didn't sparkle (probably the Sparr and Trimbach were the most, er, middling, which is to say, good! Perhaps they had a rounder style, and certainly were less complex).

    Here and there I've treated myself to a Grand Cru Albert Mann (Schlossburg?), really quite breathtaking. It's the Boxler(only one I've had, but have had also their pinot blanc, gewirtztraminer, and also a blend) though, that seems to stand out–just a purity and transparency that's almost haunting….in a good way.

  • LittleAppleCat

    Lemonade (from Frozen) with brownies. (Surprising)

  • Pastor tacos and horchata! maybe around 10 Alsatian Rieslings…

  • QOTD: My favorite food and drink pairing. I think I would have to say, and since im hispanic you will be hard pressed to find one of us that doesnt like this. Big Red soda with some nice REAL barbacoa tacos. Oh man, if i wasnt dieting i would totally get some tommorow morn

  • itmustbechad

    never had a riesling before, anxious to try. Anyone know of a good starter wine? My girlfriend has been wine tasting with me in Napa Valley and I practically forced it one her. The smell seems to get to her the most. I think something with a complete sent of fruits might work.

    QOTD – My favorite beverage and food combo is a bland steak maybe seasoned with a little garlic or garlic salt cooked medium, with a very chilled glass of tart Apple Juice. The pop of the juice brings out the earthy flavors of the meat.

  • scotlandgee

    Potato and gravy meets a beer, in particular if your feeling under the weather from a solid bout of drinking!

  • I've never had an Alsace Riesling, but my fav rieslings so far are: (Dry to semi-dry) German, Washington State, Argentina rieslings.

    QOTD: Grape Kool-Aid and Polish Dogs!

  • itmustbechad

    Grape Kool-aid, probably my second favorite non-alcoholic beverage

  • bfr1028

    Gary; I think you should come up with “scratch and sniff's” of the flavors your super beak picks up on these wines, so you can share it with the rest of us!!!! 🙂

    QOTD: I think shrimp cocktale and ice cold lemon water to wash it down.

  • itmustbechad

    sounds refreshing, I'll have to try

  • Hey Gary. Oh I love the Alsace.. mmmmmmm Can't tell you how many I've had. Who knows. Hey WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO COME TO BC CANADA?!?! we can make Riesling!! I would love to host you. That plate that Justin Brought in made me so hungry….

    QOTD: I love Dr. Pepper (best pop ever) but my favorite stand by pairing is: A Big glass of milk and Mr. Noodles, with lots of cheese!!! OHHHHH YAH!!!

  • bfr1028

    Unlike wine the water should be very cold

  • whistlerwino

    Favorite non wine pairing…….single malt scotch and vanilla ice cream, the whiskey becomes more complex and the ice cream exudes flavour

    gotta love chocolate milk

  • Pat

    Cheer up! We are your fans from Hong Kong!~

  • Cool_Dave

    QOTD — Cofee with an apple quartered, Smuckers natural peanut butter smeared on the quaters sweetened with Splenda and a quality (from you know a bakery, not Publix) multigrain bread toasted with real butter. The coffee must have either Organic Valley cream or Organic Valley whole milk in it.
    Oh and the coffe must be whole bean fresh ground locally roasted coffee. My beans are roasted in Birmingham, Al.
    And also, right now I am having an Eyrie Vineyards (estate not the old vine stuff) Pinot Noir and it ROCKS THE HOUSE!!!!

  • Just Jack

    Great show! I almost peed myself at the opening. Don't get me wrong, I feel your pain. But it was still funny as all holy hot sauce.

    QOTD: Stout and steamed Blue Crab at Obryckis in Fells Point, MD. Whenever I go to DC on business, I always take the metroliner up to Baltimore for the day. I usually have to ride back three sheets to the wind with my clothes dyed red from the old bay.

  • aeo2164

    Chocolate milk and crispy french fries. Its terrible for me but the sweetness of the chocolate and creaminess of the milk bring out the savory taste of the fries.

    Lurker status—Broken.

  • Cool_Dave

    Much Rather have Sancerre with that. 🙂

  • lawschooldrunk

    Gary, I love the deadpan beginning. You should have done the whole show like that- it would have served the negative commenters right.

    QOTD: Single Malt Scotch with Dark Chocolate, or Bourbon with vanilla ice cream.

  • Cool_Dave

    Charles Schleret Alsacian Gewurztraminer is VERY fruity. It has a great dense mouth feel. The acid is too low to be great but I still think it is cool and I think your girl should like it a lot.

  • cubs2806

    Go Saints!!!!!!!!

  • JohnsGSD

    Hey G! Great to see you back! For the first few minutes man, I was like, who the hell is this guy and what did he do with GV and my WLTV! I'm glad the wine pulled you back from the edge.

    I'm digging the new comments section, but I had to register under a new name, couldn't get on as my old handle “John D.”

    Oh, and big-ups to Shop/Auto Class!! Took that my senior year in high school up in Pittsford, NY outside Rochester, down the road from the awful Buffalo Bills. Learned the difference between a 2-stroke and a 4-stroke engine among many other things.

    So this episode killed it for me. I've recently gotten into the Rieslings. So far, it's my favorite white wine by far. Have only had entry level German Riesling's, so need to seek out an Alsace.

    QOTD: Oreo cookies and milk of course!

  • lawschooldrunk

    forgot to mention coffee with biscotti

  • TimCtheFilmGuy

    QOTD – Aventinus from Schneider-Weisse in Bavaria – my favorite beer! Love it with ritz crackers
    http://www.schneider-weisse.de/index.php?lang=en&tpl=brauerei.spezialitaeten.aventinus

    Mmmmm!!!!

  • mclurker

    Feeling your pain, Gary. I'm a Pats fans, so it's hard to admit how good Peyton Manning is. When he's running the no-huddle the Colts are virtually unstoppable. I was thinking that the Jets defence might have been able to put up enough of a rush to pressure Manning and slow down the offense — but it was not to be.

    I've had a few Alsatian Rieslings, but I prefer off-dry Rieslings more, pairing them with cheeses and spicy food.

    QOTD: Pizza and Coke Classic is one of my favorite pairings.

  • KOdyssey

    QOTD: hard to go past Hoegaarden (belgian cloudy beer) and Frites (thick/chunky fries) with Mayo.

    Or a Dark German Hefeweizen (Franziskaner or Paulaner Dunkel) with a crispy-crackling Pork Knuckle and Sauerkraut.

    Or a Leffe Brune (dark brown belgian beer but relatively sweet/light alcohol) with BBQ Ribs!

    Oh man I'm hungry now…

  • KennethNDC

    QOTD: Its a tough call between freezing cold beer and Sushi with lots of Wasabi, or orange soda and a big, fat, Cheeseburger from Ray's Hellburger in Arlington, VA.

  • platopoker

    I like Riesling a lot as long as it is not too sweet. I have not had one from Alsace yet but I look forward to trying it. The Leon Beyer sounded awesome!

    I have a three way tie for non-wine drink/food pairings:

    1. A good strong coffee paired with a toasted sesame bagel with butter
    2. Coke with an In-N-Out Burger and Fries
    3. McDonalds fries dipped in a McDonalds Shake… oh so yummy, salt and sweet together

    Go Saints!

  • platopoker

    Soda and Popcorn… I forgot that one… nice choice!

  • centralcoastkyle

    QOTD: Gonna play off the hotdog reference. So I lived in Basque country for about a year. Learned to love sagardoa (baque apple cider) with everything. Very refreshing, very lambic-esque, and tastes just like the terroir. So I cruised down to this little nerdy beer bar in downtown San Diego (terrible food and wine scene, but myself and a few others are personally changing that) and ordered a Duchess de Bourgogne sour dark belgian. Awesome. Tasted like hotdogs and sourkraut, lambic-y, basque-cider-y, etc. Saw they had a kosher beef hotdog with home-made sourkraut on the menu. Ordered that. Best combo ever. I am all about alternative drinks that pair exactly with the food your eating.

    P.S. Gary

    If you're ever in San Diego, we would love you to do a wine dinner, or have you stop by for a bite/drink. Small space, super high end food, by the glass that includes an '04 Brunello, 1er cru white and red burgundy, grower produced champagne, and a bunch more obscure or high end stuff. Definitely trying to expand palates (away from Napa Cab and Chardonnay, haha).

    Good show though. I've had a bunch of really amazing alsatian and german wines recently and they are always a great go to when you need to get back in the mix. Love playing football but don't care about the NFL, I see why people want you to tone it down.

    We ARE all changing the wine world…

  • MDSmitty2488

    I'm sorry about the loss Gary, I know what it's like to be totally invested in a team and just get disappointed in the end, I'm a Detroit sports fan and 2009 was a big year of getting real close and then being let down (at least in hockey and baseball, the Lions aren't even an issue anymore). Answer to the mini question is that I've never tried an Alsatian Riesling but have been wanting to for quite some time. Most of my riesling experience is confined to northern Michigan which do some nice late harvest rieslings but I haven't found that petrolly, bone-dry, version I've been looking for.

    QOTD: Single-malt scotch and oysters on the half shell

  • Joel

    I'm goin for my ISG fundamentals 2 exam next week. Listen to ya every day during my real job. Thanx for the fun man. keep it up!

  • food pairing: green chile cheese burger with a vanilla milk shake! (from Blake's Lotaburger in New Mexico).

  • by the way, the sweet vanilla of the milk shake counters the spiciness of the chile burger…

  • A hearty stew with a tall glass of buttermilk. Nothing beats it!

  • I'm a Jets fan and I'm also devasted.
    QOTD: I go with beer and salami. 🙂

  • Wine for Haiti started on an American site, Palate Press: The online wine magazine. American wine lovers can contribute wine, and can bid on some amazing bottles, at http://palatepress.com/2010/01/haiti/.

  • Anonymous

    My store is in the citu center (close city hall and cathedrale)
    You could see my web site on http://www.cave-le-comptoir.com
    Send me an email a few days before your trip in Bordeaux i could organise a tasting for U.
    Hope te see U in Bordeaux
    Dom

  • JudyYo

    Coke and popcorn while watching a good movie. It is one of those nice treats in life. I also enjoyed the info on the Rielsing today. Thanks

  • Anonymous

    Well it appears kennethndc and I would slightly disagree on the jet fuel thing. It definitely used to be a higher proof, more crudely made beverage, but in the 80’s there was kind of a revolution of well made smooth, more premium grappa. Now it’s very much Italy’s trademark entry into the digestif spirit market. The barrel aged stuff tends to be a little pricier, but is definitely yummy.
    castello – I’ve got a bottle of Sarpa di Poli (around 50 bucks) which is unaged and from cab grapes… I believe. Anyway it’s really silky, rich and floral, which is what i typically look for in grappa.

  • ErieWineGuy

    QOTD: Grape or Cranberry Grape juice w/ my famous spicy hot turkey chili with diced tomatoes, spinach, three different types of beans(including black-eyed peas), garlic, Italian seasoning, parsley, portabella mushrooms, peas, red pepper flakes, hot sauce, chili powder, onion powder, V-8 juice, extra virgin olive oil and various cheeses.

    I agree – GO SAINTS!

  • ilbee

    Some dark roasted, smooth Colombian coffee with chocolate truffles tastes pretty awesome to me. If I'm hungover then it's definitely milk. Lots of milk. Then again I love German lagers and pils' also.

    Haven't had too many awesome Alsatian rieslings, although just the other day I bought one grand cru by Gisselbrecht which should be good. Best values in rieslings seem to be found in Austria I think.

  • allanj

    First off great to see you again. Was getting worried, that you had cut your head off while shaving… : )
    Mini Q: I think it's in the 40-50 range. I like alsace quite a bit. Some of the best i've tasted have been from Zind-Humbrecht, but also Kuentz-Bas, Weinbach, Trimbach (cuveé Frederic Emile is Fantastic!).
    Qotd: Probably a belgian Trappist beer called Rochefort 8, with a big chunk of meat and some seasonal veg. That's always a winner. And who could forget champagne with cereal? : )
    Gary you should do a show on belgian trappist beer. There are only 6 authentic ones, so that should be no problem. (Chimay, Rochefort, Orval, Westvleteren, Achel & Westmalle) Because trappist beer is the burgundy of the beer world! Do It! Get well Gary

  • Riesling is really good in Alsace, I agree!
    A new suggestion for people how like sweet wines they could try my absolute fav:

    Clos des capucins 2003 – Domaine Weinbach, vendanges tardives.

    It's Pinot gris! It?s like the best thing in the world (and looks really like gold)?

  • Subdued start, picking up pace, nice touch 🙂

    mini QOTD: 40-50 Alsacean riesling and just as many gewurztraminer. old and new. Great wines all of the time (almost)

    QOTD: Swedish haggis with pickled beatroot, potatoes, crispbread and then a belgian ale, Chimay Blue. That's a treat!

  • MarcBelgium

    Gary, I've never seen you so sad!!
    Happily it lasted just for three minutes and then was back Gary VAY-NER-CHUK.
    BTW, you look better without beard.
    That beeing said.
    QOTD1. I have several Alsace wines in my cellar, especially Riesling. It's just a GREAT wine.
    QOTD2. old, very old Gouda with milk or, even better, sugared coffee. The salt combined with the hot sugar is wonderfull.

  • MarcBelgium

    Belgian beer in the US, I think it's like the Holy Grail.
    We were in California last summer, more precisely in Sacramento that day. The man at the check-inn became wild when he heard we where from Belgium and started to talk about Westvleteren 12.
    He was so excited that I promised him to send him a case of Westvleteren 12.
    He almost dropped dead of astonishing and I saw in his eyes that he could not believe that. I can assure you, it's even for Belgian citizens a hell of a job to get a case. But I managed it and he received the case. My God, he was happy!!

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