2008 Trimbach Riesling Clos Sainte Hune, Alsace

The Trimbach 2007 Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile smells of fresh lemon, apricot and yellow plum preserves, cardamom, and honey. Toasted praline, candied citrus rind, quinine, and brown spices tinge the luscious pit fruit on the palate, poised between juicy freshness and confiture. For all of this Riesling’s opulence and piquancy, freshness wins out in the finish, and for all of its more than 50 grams of residual sugar, its sweetness is remarkably discrete, a tribute to the almost magical balance that efficacious acids and extract can – in the right site – achieve with this grape. I would plan on following it for three decades.