Domaine Gruss 2005 Tasting Notes

Gewürztraminer Vieilles Vignes 2004
Riesling Les Prélats 2004

Nobody in Alsace will forget the impact of the scorching hot summer of 2003 when the harvest was brought forward into August for the first time in living memory. Fortunately the weather in 2004 returned to ‘normal’ and after a good summer September was fine and hot leading to a harvest of grapes in good ripe condition. Even then André and his team of pickers had to dodge the showers, and carefully plan the picking to avoid the rain! André was very pleased with this vintage because the weather allowed the vines to grow in a balanced way and produced grapes with excellent fruit and acidity.

Our Riesling Les Prélats 2004 is a classic Riesling, being dry, aromatic, full of fruit and with great finesse. Delightfully balanced, it is delicious now but will go on improving for at least another 10 years. It is irresistible for sipping with hors d’oeuvres or as a partner to the finest food and is also excellent with freshwater fish and poultry dishes.

Our Gewürztraminer Vieilles Vignes 2004 also benefited from last year’s weather, being more elegant and aromatic than previous vintages, and it will age well for at least 10 years. The 2002 vintage was awarded a Seal of Approval at the 2004 International Wine Challenge in London, the largest blind wine-tasting in the world. This wine’s bouquet and flavours of ripe, exotic fruits - lychees, mango and pineapple - all wrapped up with some gentle spicy notes make it instantly recognisable. It goes extremely well with lots of highly-seasoned dishes, including spicy curries; indeed it is one of the best matches for Indian and Asian cuisine. It is also a good choice with strong cheese and fruit-based desserts, especially those made with apricots or spiced apples.