Producer: Helfrich

Grapes: 100% Riesling

Appellation: Alsace (AOC, France). This region of France has been handed back and forth between France & Germany numerous times depending on who won the last war. So many of the names don’t sound very French. If you generally avoid Riesling because you’ve tried German ones and found them too sweet or you can’t figure out their labeling, give Alsace a try. The wines are almost always dry or just off-dry and I’ve rarely found a dud.

Vineyards: “The grapes come from the Couronne d’Or (Golden Crown), an association of local vineyards that run through the middle of Alsace. The vineyards are sloped with a South/South East exposure, while the soil is mostly calcareous and thin. The vines are dry farmed and trained upwards for maximum exposure to the sun.” [From the importer’s press release]

Winemaking: no info

Alcohol: 12.5%

Price: Around $15 (I paid $13.67 at Spec’s in Austin)

My tasting notes: The wine is a green-tinged pale yellow in the glass with a steely, stony, citrusy nose. On the palate, the citrus fades and more apple & pear flavors emerge, accented with baking spices. Though just off-dry, it’s fairly crisp – but not as racy as the Rieslings I enjoy most. The wine improved a bit by the second glass.

Overall assessment: Not bad. I like the nose, but I wasn’t thrilled with it in the mouth. You could do a lot worse…  B-

Free association:

More info:

The guys at WineGeekTV reviewed this bottle and Helfrich’s Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer from the same vintage.

Other blogger reviews at The 89 Project and Gabe’s View. And few more reviews at CellarTracker (avg. 90).

Sonadora over at Wannabe Wino recently reviewed the Helfrich Pinot Gris and has a review of the Riesling coming soon, I think.