2007 Marc Tempe' Zellenberg Gewurztraminer

[wondersofwine]

Anne Marie and Marc Tempe'. Uses biodynamic methods. Imported by Vintage '59 Imports LLC, Washington, DC. Paid $35.99 at 3Cups, Chapel Hill, NC. The Tempes have six small parcels (1.75 acres) of Gewurztraminer grapes in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains. Vines average nearly fifty years of age. Grapes are grown without chemical applications and are harvested by hand.
Deeper gold color than I was expecting. Slightly spritzig or frizzante when first poured. Intensely aromatic. Inially I experienced some tartness which causes a pucker, but later impressions were of slight sweetness. Has some weight and gravitas. Honey, ginger, florals?, touch of pear syrup. Tartness was one pronounced sensation while sweetness, almost to the point of being cloying, is the keynote of the next sip. Difficult to encompass and comprehend but I wine that I liked and that merits respect. I have a 2005 on hand that I purchased after tasting it at a Fayetteville Wine Society meeting in 2009 and possibly another 2007 or other vintage on hand.

While at 3Cups I also purchased a Domaine Leon Boesch Riesling Tradition, Alsace for $15.99. This wine was imported by Wine Without Borders, Durham, NC. I found it unexciting and uninteresting so don't have any notes other than that the first sip was pungent and penetrating on the nostril passages.

3Cups is an interesting shop that specializes in coffee, tea, wine and chocolates. While there I enjoyed a cup of a Peruvian coffee. One of the owners has a journalism background and writes rather thorough notes about the small producers whose wines they sell. You might find the website interesting: http://www.3cups.net/