[WTN] Cheap Rhone, Pricey Alsace

My Dad came to visit us for a few days. He's a semi-obsessed Francophile and prefers white, so obviously I broke out some French wines for him. He particularly likes Gewurztraminer and I'd been saving a particularly nice example to share with him.

Chasse du Pape 2007 Cotes du Rhone Reserve (White)

This was recommended to me, and I was pretty dubious since I've found generic Cotes du Rhone to generally be pretty poor, and I don't think much of the producer either. But it's up-front fragrance of apricots and honey was a pretty promising start, and when they were joined on the palate by some peach and a certain nutty quality, I counted myself pretty happy with the wine. The finish introduced a strong flavour of lime and was slightly on the tart side, but otherwise this was quite good.

Domaine Martin Schaetzel 2005 Gewurztraminer

Has the standard Gewurztraminer hit of lychees but otherwise I found this to be atypical of my experiences with the grape and rather intriguing. Instead of spicy ginger it seemed to have black pepper. Instead of generic floral notes it seemed to have a quite strong and distinct flavour of roses. Instead of honeyed sweetness tempered with acid it tended more toward the sugary-sweet. All this, plus I'm convinced it had a woody background flavour reminiscent of pencil shavings. A curious mixture, making a very satisfying whole.

That Rhone sounds nice, Matt. What did you pay for it?

That Rhone sounds nice, Matt. What did you pay for it?

I paid £6 a bottle from my local Supermarket, Sainsburys.

No idea where you might get it in the states or how much it might cost. If you go looking for it online, watch out for the fact that the producer sells a (very ordinary) red with exactly the same name, price and label, so check which you're getting before you buy!

I paid £6 a bottle from my local Supermarket, Sainsburys.

No idea where you might get it in the states or how much it might cost. If you go looking for it online, watch out for the fact that the producer sells a (very ordinary) red with exactly the same name, price and label, so check which you're getting before you buy!

Thanks - good to know about that.

Matt,

I always love seeing your notes. The Gewurztraminer sounded intriguing . . . was this a wine you had with food (or think would go well with food) or more of a solitary sipper? And, if a solitary sipper, it didn't tire on the palate? Thanks!

I always love seeing your notes. The Gewurztraminer sounded intriguing . . . was this a wine you had with food (or think would go well with food) or more of a solitary sipper? And, if a solitary sipper, it didn't tire on the palate? Thanks!

I'm flattered - glad you find them interesting.

Heretical thought it may be I rarely drink wine with food, so my opinion on the subject probably ought to be treated with some suspicion. But if I had to make a choice I'd say this one, unlike other Gewurz I've had, probably works better on it's own than with a meal.

As a point of interest this wine is from a biodynamic vineyard which might account for some of its unusual qualities.