Rolly Gassmann
Rotleibel de Rohrschwihr Auxerrois
Alsace, France
On my second trip to Alsace, we stumbled upon this winery by accident. A cancellation by Barmes Buecher gave us the opportunity to take a cold and sleepy drive up through Bergheim and in to Rorschwihr where we were welcomed by quite the views and wines. One of the bottles I brought home.
Known for producing wines that are at peak (almost late) maturity, all wines have plenty of fruit and off-dry profiles (ideally picking right before botrytis sets in), and all wines are released when deemed ready (as this 2015 was, as well as a 2003 Pinot Blanc).
It’s not common to see 100% auxerrois as it’s normally blended with Pinot Blanc, as adds a touch more body and honey. Mission achieved here. Deep golden color. Lovely aromatics of spiced pears and honeyed tropical fruits. Maturity and sweetness are balanced on the palate with so much fresh honey yet not cloying or stepping in to dessert wine territory. Not a lesson is complexity, but certainly a lesson in how some of these grape that are normally consumed early can age properly.
Followed over three days and experienced a consistent profile. The residual sugar will certainly help carry this a while. No rush.
On my second trip to Alsace, we stumbled upon this winery by accident. A cancellation by Barmes Buecher gave us the opportunity to take a cold and sleepy drive up through Bergheim and in to Rorschwihr where we were welcomed by quite the views and wines. One of the bottles I brought home.
Known for producing wines that are at peak (almost late) maturity, all wines have plenty of fruit and off-dry profiles (ideally picking right before botrytis sets in), and all wines are released when deemed ready (as this 2015 was, as well as a 2003 Pinot Blanc).
It’s not common to see 100% auxerrois as it’s normally blended with Pinot Blanc, as adds a touch more body and honey. Mission achieved here. Deep golden color. Lovely aromatics of spiced pears and honeyed tropical fruits. Maturity and sweetness are balanced on the palate with so much fresh honey yet not cloying or stepping in to dessert wine territory. Not a lesson is complexity, but certainly a lesson in how some of these grape that are normally consumed early can age properly.
Followed over three days and experienced a consistent profile. The residual sugar will certainly help carry this a while. No rush.