WTN: Dry Gewurtz

2002 Claiborne & Churchill Central Coast Dry Gewurtztraminer, 13.4% ABV, $14.78 + tax in West Virginia.

I am very fond of Gewurtz. In fact, it may be my favorite white wine. This one was golden straw in color, unctuous in texture but with very muted ripe fruit and with a very bitter finish, to the point of being unpleasant. I couldn't identify it as being corked, although what fruit was there was more than usually ripe. I know that bitterness on the finish is characteristic of Gewurtz, but not to this extent. And finally, the acidity was low and the wine a bit flabby as a result. Overall a disappointment. I won't buy this again for any price.

Edit: I meant to add that a couple weeks ago we had a local (West Virginia) Traminette made from Pennsylvania juice that was far better for about $16.

[Jenise]

2002 Claiborne & Churchill Central Coast Dry Gewurtztraminer, 13.4% ABV, $14.78 + tax in West Virginia.

I am very fond of Gewurtz. In fact, it may be my favorite white wine. This one was golden straw in color, unctuous in texture but with very muted ripe fruit and with a very bitter finish, to the point of being unpleasant. I couldn't identify it as being corked, although what fruit was there was more than usually ripe. I know that bitterness on the finish is characteristic of Gewurtz, but not to this extent. And finally, the acidity was low and the wine a bit flabby as a result. Overall a disappointment. I won't buy this again for any price.

Edit: I meant to add that a couple weeks ago we had a local (West Virginia) Traminette made from Pennsylvania juice that was far better for about $16.

Not familiar with the producer but I presume that 'Central Coast' implies California? Generally, it's a poor idea for lovers of this kind of grape to buy it from anywhere in California but the cooler Anderson Valley and Mendocino regions--Navarro, for instance, excels.

You forgot Monterey, Jenise. Plenty cool enough there, and the area produces some good Gewurz.

Gewurztraminer is hard to source these days; despite the demand (we make all we can get, and we can't get enough), it's never gotten to the level of a money crop. Plus, it's finicky to grow.

Surprised you haven't heard of C & C. They are a fairly well known and established brand, primarily for Riesling and Gewurz. in the drier style.

[Jenise]

You forgot Monterey, Jenise. Plenty cool enough there, and the area produces some good Gewurz.

Gewurztraminer is hard to source these days; despite the demand (we make all we can get, and we can't get enough), it's never gotten to the level of a money crop. Plus, it's finicky to grow.

Surprised you haven't heard of C & C. They are a fairly well known and established brand, primarily for Riesling and Gewurz. in the drier style.

Not a money crop? I recall Fetzer producing a fairly good little gewurz in the $6 range about ten years (or longer) ago. Always reliable, and a good buy--is the problem with gewurz's profitability just that it's fans won't spend bigger bucks for it? But no re C&C, in fact when I saw the name, I somehow thought of English soaps.

The Fetzer Gewurz was the one I was referring to in my previous post, Jenise.

We've made it for years, and run out of it each year, as we never have enough. And we do it at about 3.5% RS too---because that's the style people seem to love the most.

For years now we've tried to expand our production of Gewurz, but just couldn't get enough good quality fruit to do it. And we're the largest producer in the US of Gewurz.

We've also made batches of off-dry and bone dry---but Alan points out a problem with Gewurztramine, and especially California Gewurztraminer, that often when you finish out Gewurz bone dry you end up with a distinct and often unpalatable bitterness to the wine.

We made a gorgeous dry Monterey Gewurz at Jekel a few vintages ago. Got great response from the critics---but couldn't really generate all that much sales of it, so we opted not to make any more. Shame, really.

...Edit: I meant to add that a couple weeks ago we had a local (West Virginia) Traminette made from Pennsylvania juice that was far better for about $16.

I had a similar comparison last night. My sister arrived the day after Christmas, so we had a big family dinner last night. I served Tortiere (pork pie) and paired it with two wines: 2005 Columbia Crest Gewurtztraminer, which I bought at the winery when I was out there last year, and 2005 Bully Hill Traminette. Both were finished with synthetic corks. The traminette was much more aromatic, a bit sweeter, but not very complex. The gewurtz was a bit more complex on the finish and had a longer finish, but short on the nose. The folks around the table all preferred the Traminette.

Tonite I opened a bottle of 2006 One Spicy Meatball - a Jim Clendenen production from Sanford & Benedict fruit. It is dry, probably the best GW I've had from CA. Drinks like a hypothetical cross between Alsace and Alto Adige. Very nice, if not especially profound.