2014 Trimbach Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile Half Bottle 375ml, Alsace

 
So much mineral and sliced apple character with hints of orange and apple peel. Turns to steely character. Full-bodied, racy and bright. So lively. Great finish. Drink or hold on release.

96 points jamessuckling.com Sep 2015

The 2014 Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile is highly complex on the clear, intense and smoky, lemony nose. Clear, fresh, straight and very mineral on the nose, this is a pure but complex, intense, stony Riesling that is pretty austere at the moment. Provided with racy acidity, but concentrated and mineral on the palate, this is exceptional dry Riesling with great tension. To be served in 10, 20 and even in 30 years.

94+ points robertparker.com

The 2014 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile is a magnificent vintage from one of Alsace’s most iconic dry Rieslings. Produced by the Trimbach family in Ribeauvillé, this cuvée epitomises the house’s classic style — power with restraint, purity with structure, and ageability beyond decades. The wine comes from two legendary Grand Cru sites, Geisberg and Osterberg, which sit high above Ribeauvillé on limestone and sandstone soils. Together they give the Cuvée Frédéric Emile its hallmark tension, precision, and minerality.

The 2014 vintage was cool and slow to ripen, allowing the fruit to develop intense aromatics and firm acidity. Grapes were hand harvested and gently pressed before a long, temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel. No malolactic fermentation was carried out, preserving the vivid freshness and tight mineral frame that define this cuvée.

In the glass it shows pale gold with green reflections. The aroma is pure and penetrating, with notes of lime, grapefruit zest, white peach, and quince alongside crushed rock, smoke, and flint. On the palate it is dry, taut, and powerful, with crystalline fruit, razor-sharp acidity, and layers of citrus, saline minerality, and gentle spice. The finish is extraordinarily long, leaving a lingering impression of citrus oil and stone.

While precise and vibrant now, the 2014 vintage is still in its youth. With proper cellaring, it will evolve gracefully for decades, gaining honeyed, toasty, and petrol nuances while retaining its firm backbone and purity.

It pairs beautifully with oysters, scallops, sashimi, or lightly spiced Asian dishes, and it is equally at home with veal or aged hard cheeses like Comté.