Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Refreshing · Elegant
Boxler's L parcel selection on Sommerberg (formerly called Jeunes Vignes), younger granite vines but the same incisive mineral character.
Cuvées
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Festive · Elegant
Barmes-Buecher's vintage-dated extra-brut Cremant. Long-aged on lees in a Champagne-style Alsace Cremant, biodynamic, often zero-dosage.
Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant
Beck-Hartweg's Frankstein Riesling from coarse granite around Dambach-la-Ville. Biodynamic, dry, with the brisk, light register of Dambach granite.
Clos Sainte-Hune
5.0
Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant
Trimbach's 1.67 hectare monopole inside Grand Cru Rosacker, declassified to Alsace AOC by family preference. Piercing dry Riesling that needs a decade to unwind into wax, citrus and Vosges granite salinity.
Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Refreshing
Dirler-Cade's Saering Riesling from sandstone slopes around Guebwiller. Biodynamic and bone-dry; the maison's everyday Grand Cru.
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing
Josmeyer's Le Kottabe is the maison's signature dry Riesling, named for an antique Greek wine-drinking game. Bone dry, citrus and stone.
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing
Kuentz-Bas's Trois Chateaux Riesling, named for the three medieval castles above Husseren-les-Chateaux. The maison's village-level dry Riesling.
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Festive · Easygoing
Lucien Albrecht's house Brut Cremant, a Pinot-family blend. Reliable traditional-method Alsace bubbles at the price of a good Champagne entry.
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Festive · Easygoing
Lucien Albrecht's 100 percent Pinot Noir Cremant Rose. Albrecht claims to have been the first to receive AOC approval for Cremant d Alsace in 1976. Reliable salmon-pink bubbles at a friendly price.
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Festive · Easygoing
Maison Cattin (Voegtlinshoffen) Cremant Jacques Cattin, an accessible Pinot-family blend with longer lees ageing than the basic tier.
Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant
Marc Kreydenweiss's Wiebelsberg Riesling from sandstone slopes above Andlau. The sandstone counterpart to Kastelberg's schist; lighter, more aerial.
Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Elegant
Felix Meyer's Wineck-Schlossberg Riesling from granite slopes above Katzenthal. Bright, racy, granite-driven.
Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Refreshing
Andre Ostertag's Heissenberg Riesling from sandstone slopes near Nothalten, alongside Muenchberg. Pure, dry, biodynamic; the maison's everyday Bas-Rhin Riesling.
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Festive · Easygoing
Pierre Sparr's house Reserve Cremant Brut, a multi-grape blend with a touch of Chardonnay (permitted in Cremant d Alsace). Friendly, accessible Alsace sparkling.
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Festive · Easygoing
Mure's house Cremant brut, a Pinot-family blend with a splash of Riesling for lift. Reliable traditional-method Alsace bubbles at a friendly price.
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing
Schlumberger's most approachable Grand Cru Riesling, from sandstone slopes lower than Kitterle. Brisk citrus and stone.
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Refreshing
Trimbach's house-style Riesling, blending fruit from multiple villages around Ribeauville. Bone-dry, citrus and stone, the textbook introduction to Alsace Riesling.
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Festive · Elegant
Valentin Zusslin's biodynamic Cremant Rose, made from 100 percent Pinot Noir. Salmon-pink, long-lees ageing, more serious than a typical Cremant rose.
Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Refreshing · Elegant
Cuvee Theo, named for Theo Faller, is Weinbach's Alsace AOC Riesling, sourced from the Clos des Capucins vineyards around the domaine in Kientzheim.
Dry · Medium-bodied · High acidity · Festive · Easygoing
Wolfberger Eguisheim co-op's blanc-de-noirs Cremant from 100 percent Pinot Noir, traditional method. Reliable affordable Alsace bubbles.
Dry · Medium-bodied · Racy acidity · Contemplative · Elegant
Zind-Humbrecht's monopole walled-vineyard Riesling, perched below Grand Cru Hengst on calcareous-marl soils. Pure dry Riesling, often singled out as a benchmark.