Alsace Pinot Gris from Loew

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Saina Nieminen

Saina Nieminen
Domaine Loew Pinot Gris Bruderbach Clos Marienberg 2006

Gold. A vibrant, fleshy, open scent that is a very expressive and pure example of Alsace Pinot Gris: spices and red fruit. Full bodied and spicy, dry but fleshy. Though by no means an acid-forward wine, it does have perfectly adequate grip so it isn't a structureless mass, but rather is very moreish. Long. Wonderful wine.

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Domaine Loew Pinot Gris Engelberg Grand Cru 2007

Very light colour, especially for Pinot Gris: watery with a greenish tint. Tasting this side by side with the Loew Bruderbach Clos Marienberg 2006, I was surprised by how elegant and restrained this was. This was a very beautiful wine, but I needed to readjust my ideas of what Pinot Gris should be! This wasn't a fleshy, expressive wine, but rather restrained, elegant, steely and like a tightly coiled spring. It is mineral with lots of grip and wonderful acidity for the grape, medium bodied but with friendly fruit - but it is dry and powerful. The fruit did have the spicy, red tones I expect from Pinot Gris but my initial reaction was still that of a painfully young CFE but with friendlier fruit. I thought this was awesome, though young!

For a long time I thought I didn't like this grape. Who else should I look for, because the Loews were awesome?
 
Josmeyer.

But I seem to remember you posting on their wines before, so they are probably already on your radar.
 
If what finally appeals to you is the dryness, your options are decreasing...and that's putting it mildly. Have you had the Trimbach "Rserve Personnelle" (black & gold label)? Did you like it? It's far from their best wine, but it ages into something I appreciate a great deal.

Putting aside the issue of residual sugar: Josmeyer, for sure. Barms-Buecher. Boxler, though it's rarely seen. Beyer, but only with significant age. Mann from grand cru sites and not in hot years (97, 00, 03). Weinbach, again from their best sites (Cuve Laurence, Altenbourg Cuve Laurence), though they really push the sweetness. The Kreydenweiss Lerchenberg. I'm less enthused by Ostertag than others. I could go on, but considering your availability issues, it might make more sense to work from a list of what you can get.

Addendum: for Frank & Jeff.
 
originally posted by David M. Bueker:
I tried not to do it, but I have to: Do people prefer Home Depot's Pinot Gris or Loew's?

I'm going to be sick now. Sorry.
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Paging Dr. Weiss: we need an abominable pun-ectomy STAT.
 
originally posted by Thor:
If what finally appeals to you is the dryness, your options are decreasing...and that's putting it mildly. Have you had the Trimbach "Rserve Personnelle" (black & gold label)? Did you like it?
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Sadly I haven't seen that around. Thanks for the other names, too. One I rather enjoyed was the Clos St. Materne from Scharsch. In fact, I rather enjoyed the whole line-up from Scharsch. But those aren't available anymore.
 
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