2011 Trimbach Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile 750 ml

The story of Trimbach’s Cuvée Frédéric Emile reminds us of what coach and Nike founder Bill Bowerman said about legendary runner Steve Prefontaine: He insisted on holding himself to a higher standard than victory. 

In the case of the thirteen-generation Trimbach family, they insist on holding their flagship white wine to a loftier standard than the one Alsace and the rest of the world revere. That’s why the words “Grand Cru” don’t appear on the label: Because Cuvée Frédéric Emile doesn’t just exceed Grand Cru standards. It transcends them.

One inhale, and one sip of Cuvée Frédéric Emile shows the majesty of world-class Riesling, and justifies Trimbach’s quality obsession. A luminous gold with a slight brassy tone after nine years in the cellar, it shows swirling, intense, complex aromas of fresh white peaches, preserved lemons, petrol, dried white flowers, clover honey, ginger, saffron, exotic spices, and a touch of wintergreen. The wine is focused and fresh on the palate, with citrus, tree, and stone fruits evolving into honeyed tertiary flavors, all invigorated by vibrant, lifted acidity and a persistent minerality that runs through the minute-long finish. 

Burgundy, Bordeaux, California, Germany, and beyond—no matter where they’re from, the world’s great white wines boast a rare and magical balance of fruit, freshness, minerality, and fascinating complexity. Add age-worthiness to that mix, and pursuing the very best can cost collectors three digits and more, especially for those looking to gild their cellar with a legendary producer’s most storied bottling. 

This is that defining wine—one that often escapes us in normal times. The current release from a region-ruling four-century producer, Cuvée Frédéric Emile is the pinnacle of Alsace Riesling, and today we’ve got it straight from the Trimbach cellars. Perfectly aged but structured to thrive for another decade-plus, it’s just $59.  

Trimbach has been one of the defining producers of the picturesque Alsace region since 1626, and today, headed by twelfth-generation winemaker Pierre Trimbach, the house reflects the centuries of knowledge and passion that have allowed them to set the bar for nearly 400 years.

No one figures more prominently in that history than Trimbach ancestor Frédéric Emile, who more than a century ago led the estate to international acclaim, by receiving the highest distinction at the International Wine Fair in Brussels. Since then, his name has become synonymous with Trimbach’s unwavering adherence to quality—and it was he who the family thought of in the 1970s, when Alsace’s current Grand Cru system was born. 

The system, the family believed, applied the noble Grand Cru designation to too many sites (many of them too big), so they decided to leave it off of their labels—despite the fact that they were making wines from some of the greatest Riesling vineyards known to man. Because of the decision they made nearly five decades ago (which they’re only starting to soften on now), only the savviest of connoisseurs would ever know that a bottle bearing the Cuvée Frédéric Emile label contains not just Grand Cru-quality wine, but perhaps the definitive Grand Cru-grown wine in Alsace. 

For generations, the cuvée has grown on the south and southeast-facing Geisberg and Osterberg Grands Crus, which overlook the Trimbach winery. Planted in a crumbly, fossil-flecked limestone soil called Muschelkalk, the vines impart a unique minerality, and since they average 45 years of age, their yields are severely limited. A strict selection during the late-October hand-harvest results in a unique Riesling that bears Osterberg’s renowned weight and Geisberg’s striking acidity and finesse.

This is one of the world’s great bottles of wine, and one that belongs in your cellar alongside your white Burgundies, vintage Champagnes, and other age-worthy whites. A true icon, we’re thrilled to bring it to you today.