Gerard Schueller et Fils: A New Discovery in Alsace
10/10/2008 -
When David Lillie and I tasted these wines at La Dive Bouteille in February 2008 we were very happy, and you’ll be even happier to see the reasonable prices of these fantastic natural wines. The Schuellers have been a force in the French natural wine movement for many years and work with bio-dynamic principles in the vineyard, but they are not certified and apparently don’t want to be constrained by the certification process. Certified or not, the wines are fantastic with lush, complex fruit balanced by acidity and minerality, and even the richer examples are subtle and pure and food-friendly. This is our second importation from the Schuellers and we look forward to bringing more of their beautifully focused natural wines.
The 2006 Pinot Blanc has a lovely nose of pear, apple, minerals and some wet earth. A very terroir specific nose and very pretty. The acidity is ample and the flavors are all apples, cream and pear. There is lovely spice on the finish and sneaky persistence. A wonderfully honest expression of Pinot Blanc in Alsace. Not one of the more cloying, massive wines that give Alsace a bad name and have ruined its reputation in the past ten to fifteen years. This is essentially a dry Pinot Blanc that probably has 3-6 grams of residual sugar to give it a more unctuous texture. The acidity marries beautifully with the lovely creamy texture and the finish is all mineral and fruit skin. There is almost a sour tension you find in Mosel Riesling.
The 2006 Gewurztraminer is in a very rich style. As I stuck my nose in the glass it reminded me of vendange tardive in intensity. Nose of lychee, grapefruit, dusty earth, yellow flowers with nice spice on the palate but make no mistake this is a big, in your face gewürztraminer with much sap and density. Almost Auslese-like in its intensity but there is nice balance and a good slap of acidity on the finish. This has the legs to age gracefully for ten years. A beauty and you cannot beat it at this price!
