Displaying items by tag: Thierry Meyer

Summary:

As with all wine regions, there is a list of producers with whom every wine student should be familiar to understand the diversity and complexity of the wines produced.

In Alsace the list is long: some names are familiar, like Zind-Humbrecht, Weinbach, Deiss, Lon Beyer, Hugel, Trimbach, Klipfel, Gustave Lorentz , JB Adam, Kuentz-Bas, Arthur Metz, and Schlumberger.

Others are known in only small circles, such as Patrick Meyer, Christian Binner, and Jean-Pierre Frick. Find out why these names are among the whos who!

Presenter: Thierry Meyer

Thierry Meyer was born and raised in Alsace, France. He began writing about wine in 1999, using the newly-emerging internet wine forums to share tasting notes and insights into the wines of Alsace.

In 2001, Thierry started his signature dinner series, dedicated to pairing Alsace wines with fine food. He founded LOenothque Alsace in 2006 and launched the website oenoalsace.com, one of the most comprehensive website dedicated to Alsace wines. At the same time he started to promote a program of structured Alsace wine masterclasses and dinners.

From 2007 to 2011, Thierry was contributing editor of Le Guide Bettane & Desseauve des Vins de France, the influential French wine guide.

In 2014, Thierry started to lead the new Alsace Master-level education program for the French Wine Society, the leading provider of French wine study and certification programs internationally.

Learn more about Alsace wines:
Delve into Alsace with the insight of Alsace wine experts, sign up for the Alsace Study Trips. Learn more about French wines with the French Wine Scholar study & certification program.

Summary: 

Get a thorough view of Alsatian Riesling from an expert on Alsace! This grape variety with the highest reputation in Alsace can produce wines with an incredibly wide range of styles, from dry to sweet. This session will also explore the mineral dimensions of all Alsace terroirs. Learn about the supposedly famous and typical petrol aromas, about what is a truly dry Riesling, and discover how a famous producer's Riesling style may be better explained by its distinctive terroir of origin rather than by its winemaking style.

Presenter: Thierry Meyer

Thierry Meyer was born and raised in Alsace, France. He began writing about wine in 1999, using the newly-emerging internet wine forums to share tasting notes and insights into the wines of Alsace.

In 2001, Thierry started his signature dinner series, dedicated to pairing Alsace wines with fine food. He founded LOenothque Alsace in 2006 and launched the website oenoalsace.com, one of the most comprehensive websites dedicated to Alsace wines. At the same time, he started to promote a program of structured Alsace wine masterclasses and dinners.

From 2007 to 2011, Thierry was contributing editor of Le Guide Bettane & Desseauve des Vins de France, the influential French wine guide.

In 2014, Thierry started to lead the new Alsace Master-level education program for the Wine Scholar Guild, the leading provider of French wine study and certification programs internationally.

Study Alsace wines in-depth with our Alsace Study Trips. Learn more about French wines with the French Wine Scholar study & certification program.

Summary:

Traditional food and wine pairing recommendations focus on basic wine dimensions such as aromas, acidity, tannins or sweetness.

This is sufficient to create a list of standard grape variety wines to match all kinds of dishes, including pasta and pizza. Yet, heavenly food and wine pairing -- the one plus one = three -- goes well beyond this simple approach.

To achieve the perfect match and creating memorable associations also requires the consideration of a wine's power; the complexity of its aromas and taste; saltiness; and its overall structure. Moreover, the food needs to be decomposed into its main ingredients and cooking method, as well as accompanying side dishes or sauces.

In this webinar, you will discover a method to select the perfect wine or adjust your dish ingredients to be a perfect companion to your selected wine. Thierry will illustrate his approach with the selection of a wine to pair with a shrimp, avocado and pink grapefruit salad. After this webinar, the art and science of food and wine pairing will become an intellectual challenge that you will be ready to meet.

Presenter: Thierry Meyer

Thierry Meyer was born and raised in Alsace. He began writing about wine in 1999 when he started using the newly emerging wine forums to share tasting notes and insights on the 1000 Alsace+ wines he tastes each year.

In 2001, Thierry started his signature dinner series dedicated to Alsace wines. These have quickly become important occasion for wine lovers from all over the world to experience fine Alsace food paired with some of the finest wines in the world.

In 2006, Thierry founded L’Oenothèque Alsace (www.oenoalsace.com), one of the most comprehensive modern resources dedicated to Alsace wines. At the same time, he started to promote a program of structured Alsace wine master classes and dinners, each dedicated to a specific theme and each aimed at discovering the richness and variety of Alsace wines in all categories. These sessions are open to all wine lovers, from absolute beginners to professionals, and aim to help them discover the wines of Alsace or further develop their knowledge and preferences. L’Oenothèque Alsace also organizes visits to local vineyards in order to discover the unique geological complexity of Alsace. L’Oenothèque Alsace does not sell wine, and is not connected to any wine producer or association and therefore offers completely impartial advice, allowing wine lovers to discover the quality and diversity of Alsace wines.

From 2007 to 2011, Thierry was contributing editor for Bettane & Desseauve, the influential French wine guide. In this, he covered the Alsace region, as well as the Jura, Savoie and Bugey regions. Thierry is a member of the Confrérie Saint Etienne d’Alsace, which gives him numerous occasions to taste Alsace wines which are up to 80 years old.

In 2012, Thierry joined the Decanter World Wine Awards jury as Regional Chair for Alsace.

Back to French Vintage Chart

The vintage chart and harvest reports provided by the Wine Scholar Guild gives you the ranking for every French wine region and vintage from 2000 to today.

Andrew Jefford, award-winning wine journalist for Decanter Magazine and author of twelve books on wine including The New France, has compiled information and written the vintage charts starting with the 2013 vintage. He is also updating information for the vintages prior to 2013.

Last updated: Jan. 16, 2023

Alsace

Vintage	Quality	Drink	Comments
2021		Drink/Cellar	After a cold and unusually snowy winter, March was mild, initiating budburst.  Alsace wasn’t spared the frosts of early April, though the cold winter meant that the losses here were less dramatic than elsewhere (10% in general compared to 50% or more in Burgundy).  The rest of the growing season remained a battle against the elements, with a lack of sunshine and repeated episodes of heavy rain dominating May, June and July; losses from mildew damage outweighed those from frost in Alsace.  August, finally, saw a welcome return of warmth and sunshine.  After more difficult weather at the beginning of September, beautiful early autumn weather in late September and into October paved the way for a late harvest which was much better in quality than growers had dared hope earlier in the season.  The Alsace crop overall was 20% below normal – but some domains suffered more.  “A loss of 50% might be regarded as catastrophic in a normal year,” reported Olivier Humbrecht MW, “but in 2021, it represented a victory over the elements.”  2021 is a fine year for dry Alsace wines in general: tense, textured and with outstanding fruit qualities, and especially so for Riesling.  By contrast, few sweet wines were made in 2021.
2020		Drink/Cellar	As elsewhere in France, winter in Alsace was mild and wet, and the vines got off to an early start; despite this, there were no frost losses and flowering was successful.  Ironically, this was cause for anxiety in Alsace, since 2020 was the first year of a new regional agreement to limit yields for still wines to 65 hl/ha and for Crémant to 70 hl/ha (both from 80 hl/ha formerly): an attempt to limit the region’s perennial problems of over-production.  Growers needn’t have worried: summer was hot and dry and yields fell naturally because of this.  The harvest began very early in this region which has traditionally resorted to late harvesting, with the Crémant harvest beginning in August and still wines in early September.  Growers were particularly happy with the Pinot Noir crop this year, considered by some to be the best ever (and with Pinot Noir often the first of the still-wine varieties to be picked), but every variety gave good results.  Production of sweet wines (after a fine late season) returned to normal after 2019’s very short crop.
2019		Drink/Cellar	A mild winter meant an early start for the vines, though a cool April and May checked the advance somewhat.  There were even frosts in May, though fortunately these didn’t greatly affect the best vineyards; a long and irregular flowering followed in mid-June, after which the vines were three weeks behind the 2018 seasonal pattern.  All change in mid-June and July, as the weather became very hot and dry, and by the end of July drought was beginning to affect the warmest, stoniest sites.  August rains saved the day; by véraison in mid-August the season was back on chronological track.  Magnificent harvesting weather throughout September and on into October contributed further to ripeness, and growers were hugely enthusiastic about the quality of what they harvested, with the wines showing freshness, structure and richness alike.  Both dry and sweet wines will age well.
2018		Drink/Cellar	After a mild, wet January, February was cold and snowy, with temperatures of -13°C by the end of the month. March and April turned wet and mild again and flowering came in early June, up to two weeks early, as the rains continued: Alsace received a year’s rainfall in the first seven months of the year. Temperatures soared and the humidity dropped away from the end of July, with a 40°C heat spike at the end of August. The warm weather continued throughout September and into October, as the nights increasingly grew cooler, enabling a leisurely harvest to unfold over two months or more. The Crémants were picked from August 22nd, with picking for all varieties underway by the second week in September, depending on site. 2018 is a generous vintage in both quantity and style, with Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir being particularly successful, and with substantial production of both Vendange Tardive wines and Séléction de Grains Nobles. The wines will age well in both dry and sweet style.
2017		Drink	After a very cold winter period (with 56 sub-zero days in December 2016 and January 2017), the early spring weather turned warm, with early budburst. As in so many other French regions, frosts struck in late April (20th and 21st in Alsace), affecting 4,500 ha, with 1,500 ha of vineyards losing 80% or more of their crop. The overall harvest (907,000 hl) was 20 per cent down on 2016. The frosts struck flatland or bottom-slope vineyards particularly hard: above all Auxerrois and Pinot Blanc destined for Crémant. After that, conditions were almost perfect for the rest of the season, with a sunny summer interspersed with rain showers, cool nights, and perfect botrytis-forming conditions towards the end of the season.  Summer was also relatively hot here (the fifth hottest in the last 40 years).  It was one of the earliest harvests ever, beginning on August 21st, and although quantity is down, quality is high for all varieties, as well as for red wines and late-harvest wines. The wines are perfumed, complex and concentrated.
2016		Drink	After an alarmingly warm January, spring was cool and fretful, and budburst came normally in April.  June was intensely wet, but the weather improved for flowering at the end of the month, and summer was thereafter warm and dry, with no more rain until September 18th.  Harvest began at the end of September and continued through a generally fine October with good ripening conditions, but little or no botrytis (so there will be few Vendange Tardive and SGN wines this year).  The overall harvest size is normal, and 2016 has produced classically poised, fresh Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer wines.
2015		Drink	A perfect weather script for Alsace: a warm, dry spring and early summer was followed by a July heatwave, to the extent that the vines were suffering by early August.  Rain storms on August 9th and 10th were hugely helpful, and after that, the vines ripened perfectly for a leisurely harvest throughout September, VT and SGN included.  All varieties excelled, including Pinot Noir.  2015 is considered the greatest Alsace vintage since 1990 and 1971, though quantities were not large.
2014		Drink/Past peak	A warm spring and early summer led to an exceptionally successful flowering and fruit set.  July, though, had double its average rainfall, creating disease pressures. August was cooler than usual, leading to Drosophila suzukii attacks on Alsace’s dark-skinned grapes (Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer).  Picking in mid- to late-September produced a smaller-than-hoped-for harvest of beautifully balanced wines which, like 2013, favoured dry styles over sweet.  Riesling and Pinot Gris were particularly successful.
2013		Drink/Past peak	A cool, slow spring meant that flowering was delayed until the second half of June.  Mid-July to mid-August was warm and dry (though with hail in some sectors), meaning that early September rain was welcome.  The rest of September was dry and sunny prior to an early October harvest.  2013 is a fine, low-yielding year for dry wines, especially Riesling but also Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer: fresh, elegant and vital.  There are few VT and SGN wines.
2012		Drink	Spring frosts , extended flowering with isolated hail followed by very dry summer & water stress. Beneficial rains in September. Reduced harvest of mature grapes leading to structured wines with potentially long life. Some compare to 2010 or 2002.
2011		Drink/Past peak	Early start. Cool, wet summer marked by frequent storms. Very sunny end of August. Normal volume after short 2010. Sorting key to quality. Lighter, often delicate wines of lower alcohol & moderate acidity, many with early appeal. Considerable variability.
2010		Drink	Mixed spring weather, prolonged flowering, coulure & millerandage. Irregular ripening by variety & parcel. Low yields of concentrated, expressive wines with elevated acidity. Small quantities of very fine VT/SGN across varieties with marked botrytis. Best dry & late-harvest wines will benefit from long cellaring.
2009		Drink/Past peak	Early flowering, hot & dry August. Dry September with cool nights. Healthy, mature wines with higher alcohol, ripe acidity. Grands crus highly successful. Fine October weather, VT/SGN resulting from desiccation of berries (passerillage) rather than botrytis. Exceptional late-harvest Riesling.
2008		Drink/Past peak	Marked variation between early-, late-ripening locales. Damp, cool June extends flowering. Warm but not hot, stormy summer & wet early September. Slow maturation. Structured Riesling, Gewurztraminer from best sites will keep well. Successful VT/SGN wines.
2007		Drink/Past peak	Uneven, long season. Warm spring, wet & cold periods in summer. Notably slow ripening. Dry wines are elegant, tend to be totally dry in ’07 (no residual sugar). Gewurztraminer excelled: rich, highly aromatic. Large number of exceptional VT/SGN.
2006		Past peak	Benign season ends with rain, 24 September into early October. Careful sorting required, some unevenness. Very few VT/SGN except Gewurztraminer, picked after rains.
2005		Drink/Past peak	Heat at flowering, many green harvest to limit yields. Best wines are ripe, balanced. Favorable conditions in October for noble rot, exceptional Gewurztraminer.
2004		Past peak	Riesling in dry style performed best. High yields resulted in many weaker wines. Hardly any VT production.
2003		Past peak	Earliest season since 1893. Record summer temperatures, water stress, hailstorms. Low yields averaged 67 hl/ha. Negligible noble rot, low output of VT, no SGN. Very ripe Pinots, Gewurztraminer. High alcohol & low acidity are common.
2002		Past peak	Varying heat & humidity in summer. Uniform flowering, crop thinning controlled potential volume. Riesling stands out. Favorable end of October for VT/SGN Gewurztraminer.
2001		Past peak	Indian summer completes ripening. Riesling particularly successful. Very fine year for late-harvest wines across varieties. Rules for ripeness of VT/SGN revised as of 2001 vintage, increasing minimum sugar levels.
2000		Past peak	Precocious season, ideal spring, hot & dry summer. Ripe, substantial wines with sound acidities. Widespread noble rot, memorable SGN in relatively large quantity (more than 1997, a voluminous year for late-harvest wines).

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These vintage notes have been prepared by Andrew Jefford, Academic Advisor to the Wine Scholar Guild. New vintage information, and any revisions of previous vintage drinking suggestions, are made each autumn.  Use the chart as a guide only; in every vintage there will be outperforming and underperforming wines.

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