Sylvaner, 2013. Albert Hertz
Appellation: A.O.C. Alsace, France
Wine tasting with Paul Kalemkiarian & Ed Masciana
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As Alsace estates go, Albert Hertz is a relative newcomer. After all, it was only established in 1843. Many of the surrounding estates have a 200-year leg up on them! Needless to say, there’s a tradition of carefully crafted wine, here, and this has been a well-loved wine region for so long for very good reason.
Albert Hertz is located in the center of Alsace, in Eguisheim, a village founded somewhere around 800. Wine has been made here for over 2,000 years, and we must add they’ve done a fine job of it.
Alsace is a very interesting area in France, mainly because it really isn’t French! The food, the wine, the names and the customs are all German. It’s less than 20 miles from the German border and the land’s ownership has been traded between the French and the Germans four times in its history, depending on who won which war. Ergo the confusion. So much for the history lesson.
Whatever the country label, the wines from this area are incredible. The locales surrounding Alsace are all very cold. Alsace, however, is in a very unique position, shielded from the harsh Eastern winds by the Vosges Mountains, while the warmer winds from the south keep their vines safe from freezing.
Quite honestly, Sylvaner grown anywhere else is fairly ordinary. But here, it is beyond compare. The deft fruit tones combine guava and peach with lilacs and orange peel in a feast for the senses. The flavors dance on your palate, having a wonderful time doing so, and so will you.
