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Wine Details
Price:
$10.00 per bottle
Description:
From the first whiff of the aromas to the tingle of the lingering finish, it’s obvious the 2004 vintage is something special. The nose is incredibly complex, highlighting notes of gooseberry, peaches and orange marmalade, and that’s just the beginning. Allow the wine to get accustomed to its surroundings, and it opens up with a classic rose perfume character, framed by subtle hints of tropical piña colada. Let the wine sit in the glass a little more, and the layers of depth in the aromas just keep unfolding.
The palate is equally enticing, traveling that fine line of being bright yet rich, with its dryness only accentuating the inherent elegance that Gewürztraminer can have. Ripe ruby grapefruit characters abound balanced by a dash of fresh tart mango and lychee fruit. Add to this a full-bodied finish that is surprisingly refreshing, and you have just enjoyed Gewürztraminer in all its wonder.
Serve this wine ever-so-slightly chilled, and enjoy how it opens up and changes over the course of the meal. Not only is Gewürzt our preferred wine with spicy Thai and Jamaican dishes, it is the quintessential wine for smoked salmon and a traditional Thanksgiving turkey.
To make Gewürztraminer with this purity and complexity, however, it means we work with it very carefully. Thus, so as to not strip the delicate characters away, we have not fined this wine. It may, with time, become slightly cloudy or throw a sediment. Enjoy it knowing that you are tasting the wine at it’s finest.
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Varietal Definition
Gewürztraminer:
Cultivated for over a thousand years, this white-wine grape (sometimes referred to simply as Traminer) is thought to have originated in the village of Tramin (or Temeno) in Italy’s Alto Adige region. Gewürztraminer grapes are planted in Alsace, a French region between Germany and France that specializes in excellent dry Gerwürztraminer wines. They’re also cultivated in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Rumania, Czechoslovakia, and Ukraine. Because they perform better in cooler climates, Gewürztraminer grapes have not done well in many of California’s warmer growing regions. However, they thrive in cooler California areas such as Carneros, Anderson Valley, and Monterey County, as well as in parts of Oregon and Washington. The German word ‘gewürz’ means ‘spiced,’ and these wines are known for their crisp, spicy attributes. They’re highly fragrant, with flavor characteristics of litchis, roses, and spices such as cloves and nutmeg. Gewürztraminer wines are available in varying degrees of sweetness -- dry, medium-sweet, and late harvest. Because of the grape’s pinkish (sometimes yellow) pigment, Gewürztraminer wines are some of the more deeply colored of the whites, many have gold or peach tones. The distinctive color and aroma of these wines make them easily recognizable by those familiar with this varietal wine.
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Traminer:
Parent grape of the popular Gewurztraminer clone. Still grown in France and in California but almost everywhere has been replaced by its much more intense and spicy offspring clone.
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