letuffeau.com
(Link)
~ “Above all else, however, the Trimbachs are producers of Riesling par excellence. Cuvee Frederic Emile … is one of the greatest Rieslings in Alsace. It might even be the second greatest Riesling in Alsace, but Trimbach’s Clos Ste-Hune is without question the very greatest.” ~
The Wines of Alsace - Tom Stevenson
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Trimbach
Ribeauville
Alsace
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“Jean Trimbach was here. March 14th 2025.
Almost a year ago, to date, we hosted our first tasting at Le Tuffeau. Jean Trimbach, a few magnums of Geisberg GC and Frederic Emile … and our first signed tile, graff’ed by a very bemused senior French gentilhomme.
This was a special event. Naturally, when the importer reached out, alerting me that Jean Trimbach would be in town, I leapt at the idea to do a tasting. Obviously, there was a degree of cache at hosting a member of one of Wine’s (Wine, with a capital ‘W’) greatest families, launching our tasting programme with a bang. However, this did not even occur to me at the time.
What excited me: hosting the brother of the winemaker who had produced some of the very greatest wines I had ever drunk. As you, dear readers, would know: Riesling is my grape. I return to it constantly, especially from the colder German terroirs, Nahe and Mosel.
Here I am, then, espousing Riesling from the much warmer climate and largely limestone-soils of Alsace. I think what draws me to the Trimbach wines is that the house winemaking accentuates minerality, perhaps to the highest degree: these are stern and rocky wines. Malolactic fermentation is deliberately inhibited so acidity (often supremely high) surges alongside the perception of rock; with fruit that is present but often taking years to reveal itself.
I have had multiple encounters with the Clos Ste-Hune 2009; and seen the Frederic-Emile shining in the 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 vintages. I have no doubt that the 2019 will be extraordinary; one for the cellar, as with all Trimbach wines. This wine, the ‘Freddie E’, is never to be missed. I always seem to find magnums hiding in my cellar … and never regret pulling the cork on one. It is a wine best thought of akin to top blended malt whisky: in a world obsessed with the fad of single vineyards/malts, Trimbach still exalts the art of blending - here the intense minerality and searing acidity of Osterberg blend with the ripe density of Geisberg; the final blend adjusted year to year to suit the vintage. This is not a wine with smoothed contours, a la Penfolds, but a wine that exalts its twinned terroirs.
And Clos Ste-Hune? Well, it is one of the world’s greatest wines. Simple as that. Alongside Monziger Halenberg and Rangen de Thann ‘Clos St-Urbain’. The less I say about wines like this the more I hope to communicate how special they are; unique.
Words from a true Riesling-freak. Trimbach come with my highest recommendation, especially for those of you readers that love ‘difficult’ and mineral wines.”
— David
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~ please note : discounts are automatically applied at the digital check-out! ~
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“Pierre Trimbach, now with 45 vintages under his belt, reports that 2023 was even drier than 2022. “Even though we had a dry vintage, it did not bring us very high sugar levels, as the vineyards did not work anymore,” Trimbach said, referring to the vines’ metabolic shutdown resulting from a lack of water. “Sugar levels were not as high as in 2018 or 2022,” he added. The Trimbach harvest commenced on September 11 in “great weather, so there was no rush to pick the grapes. We finished after a month of picking.” The grapes were healthy, even though some fruit damaged by the dryness had to be sorted out. Trimbach states candidly that the domaine did not bottle all the wine it produced in 2023, with batches deemed not up to standard sold in bulk. Pierre Trimbach delivered a great collection in 2023 in his customary fashion. The wines are taut, bright and clean-cut, but with immense amounts of poise and charm. In 2023, the limestone sites clearly had the edge, and the Riesling Vignoble du
Couvent de Ribeauvillé Geisberg Grand Cru is shaping up to become a perennial coup de coeur.”
— Anne Krebiehl, vinous.com
The Red
I
Trimbach 2023 Alsace Pinot Noir 'Reserve'
(Shelf Price: $75.00)
Offer: $64.00
“The 2023 Pinot Noir Reserve was 100% destemmed, with a total cuvaison of eight days. This was raised in large foudres and concrete tanks. An exquisitely aromatic perfume of ripe, juicy red cherry on the nose immediately sets the tone. The palate is beautifully sinuous, translucent and slender, with just a slight edge of smokiness. The tannins are fine and come with a gentle crunch. The 2023 marks a return to brightness and wonderful, vivid freshness following the 2022.”
92pts — Anne Krebiehl, vinous.com
Order here
(Link)
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The Whites
II
Trimbach 2022 Alsace Riesling 'Reserve'
(Shelf Price: $85.00)
Offer: $72.00
“The 2022 Riesling Reserve is from top vineyards in Ribeauville and Bergheim that haven't been sourced for the grands crus but are partly seriously old. Bottled in April 2023 and already released, the wine displays a clear and refined, intense and elegant bouquet of fully ripe and spicy fruits but also remarkably floral talents. The wine is lush and intense on the refined and elegant palate, provided with some Muscat-like aromas, ripe, saline acidity and very fine tannins. The finish is harmonious, fruit-intense and backed up by a serious mineral structure. Superb."
93pts — Stephan Reinhardt, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
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(Link)
III
Trimbach 2023 Alsace Riesling 'Hommage a Hubert Trimbach'
(Shelf Price: $142.00)
Offer: $122.00
“The 2023 Riesling Homage a Hubert Trimbach is a one-off wine made in honor of Hubert Trimbach (1938-2023), who passed away on the second day of the 2023 harvest. The grapes were sourced from three parcels, including some Grand Crus, which Jean Trimbach wants to keep a secret, but he reveals that there are schist, Triassic limestone and granitic-volcanic soil influences. Trimbach notes that the idea was to have a wine that will be ready to drink a little earlier. A delicate scent of tangerine hovers tenderly on the nose. The palate has a lovely juiciness and a slightly richer, smoother mouthfeel. This is fleshy and superbly clean-cut.”
93pts — Anne Krebiehl, vinous.com
Order here
(Link)
IV
Trimbach 2019 Alsace Riesling 'Frederic Emile'
limited - reply email only
(Shelf Price: $254.00)
Offer: $216.00
“The 2019 Riesling Frederic Emile is precise and savory on the nose, blending the ripe and intense fruit of the Geisberg with a rather coolish and purely mineral or rocky tone of the Osterberg (?) that is reminiscent of melting salts. Tight and with lots of tannins on the palate, this is a full-bodied, highly energetic and vivacious Riesling with a long and tensioned as well as complex finish that pairs the ripe and dense fruit with structural elements to create something new and impressive. It's very long and saline yet still too tight to be opened today”
96pts — Stephan Reinhardt, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
V
Trimbach 2019 Alsace Riesling ‘Clos Ste Hune - 100e Anniversaire’
very limited - reply email only
P.O.A.
“One of the greatest CSH ever: I scored it 98+ last September and as far as I am concerned it’s already gotten to the stage that it can be safely considered a 100 points wine. Pale straw with a hint of green. Very beautiful CSH, with a piercing lemony quality to its white flower, and white orchard fruit aromas and flavours. A mineral whiplash follows through from start to finish of this drop-dead gorgeous Riesling that goes on and on the extremely long finish. To put it simply, this is a knockout wine that is outstanding at the present stage of development (more so than any other CSH I can remember) and will likely turn out to be one of the best the estate has ever made. A wine of impeccable balance. ”
100pts — Ian d’Agata
&
“So incredibly fresh and expressively youthful, but also extremely deep and harmonious. Great white and yellow peach fruit with touches of white flowers and fine garden herbs. When I first tasted this it was mouthfilling, but during the following years it has slimmed down to a sleeker silhouette, but without losing any of the giant concentration. A great masterpiece of concentration and racy elegance. You can’t taste the 14.3% alcohol, also because of the effusive natural acidity. ”
100pts — Stuart Piggott, jamessuckling.com
&
“The 2019 Riesling Clos Ste Hune 100e Anniversaire is very clear, fresh and coolish on the precise and refined, very detailed nose that is a clear reflection of the terroir expressed with saline lemon aromas. Generous yet refined on the palate, this is a more classical Riesling compared to 2018, so it's a bit more austere, less textured but more precise and incredibly saline. The tannins are still biting a bit but already playing with the saline acidity, and I assure you that this is a great and balanced classical Riesling that will make its way over the years. Personally, I adore this style (or vintage) since it shows the finesse and purity of the clos rather than its power and richness at this stage. Keep it for at least 10 or, if you can, 20 years. Tasted at the domaine in April 2024 and again on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Clos Ste Hune at the beginning of November, with the same result, but another note:
Coming with the ancient label, the intensely yellow colored 2019 Clos Sainte Hune is clear, bright, fresh and savory, very intense yet most of all deep, rich and precise on the terroir-driven nose. Based on very, very old vines, this is a full-bodied, rich and densely textured, quite powerful and tightly structured Riesling with lots of salts and the depth and power of Trimbach’s east/southeast-facing 1.67-hectare plot within the Grand Cru Rosacker. The finish is very intense and shows even marzipan aromas as well as great vitality and mineral freshness. This is a truly great and firmly structured Clos Ste Hune that is based on a yield of 40 to 45 hectoliters per hectare, "like every year," as Jean Trimbach says. "The marly limestone terroir allows higher yields compared to granite, which allows at max 35 hectoliters per hectare."
The 2019 was bottled with 14.3% stated alcohol and 2.94 grams per liter of residual sugar. The total acidity of 8.32 grams per liter is also remarkable, though.”
98+pts — Stephan Reinhardt, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
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~ I note with sadness that Pierre Trimbach, Jean’s brother and the chief winemaker at his family Domaine passed away a few weeks ago. ~
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The new Le Tuffeau
2026
This week, by the glass
Joshua Cooper 2024 Central Victoria Chardonnay ‘Dash Farms’
Domaine Tempier 2023 Bandol Rose
Chateau Boucasse 2020 Madiran
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Please join us for a drink soon. Reservations preferred.
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