Chateau d'Orschwihr 2006 Alsace Riesling Bollenberg

For the last half-year or so, I've been buying almost exclusively from one big national online wine-seller. While not at all unhappy with them, I'm trying an online seller in my home state (free shipping!) with a very interesting selection but also some policies that'll mean slightly more bottles of fewer different wines. I'll see about turning that to an advantage.

While I'll always have a special appreciation for sweeter high Prädikat German Rieslings, I recognize that Alsatian vintners, too, can do impressive things with this wonderful grape.

Medium straw color.

Very full smell, green apple, melon, citrus, wildflowers, and minerals.

Tastes of Granny Smith apple, melon, little bit of grapefruit. Flint mixes with the fruit at the end, when a little bit of petillance also becomes apparent. It makes me recall many of my favorite Rieslings in years past.

Utterly dry fruity wine, plenty of flavor, a style less in fashion in Alsace in recent years. A pleasant surprise for $18.99. A promising introduction to wines recommended by my new seller.

The label indicates that residual sugar is 1.4g per liter. It's been noted that including this information on the label is new and useful and perhaps unique to Chateau d'Orschwihr. Lacking this information, sometimes it isn't clear if a wine on the shelf is dry or sweeter, particularly for Alsace, since both are common. The practice of such labeling deserves to be adopted by more winemakers in Alsace and elsewhere. (Chenin Blanc makers, I'm looking at you!)