Gewurztraminer

For those who don't believe that Gewurztraminer can age, they would be wrong as this wine shows.  Deep golden in color.  Clear and bright.  A gorgeous nose of lychees with smokey notes and a slight sea air quality.  This is slightly viscous.  It gives the impression that this will be sweet but drinks more semi-sweet although with air, the sweetness comes out more.  Thee palate has peaches with layers of fruit and minerals.  Long finish.  This is drinking beautifully at age 18.  Seems like it could easily do another five to maybe ten more.  Works great on its own and will work well with sala

This wine and it's Red counterpart are some of the best values from Israel.  This is a blend of 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 45% Chardonnay and 5% Gewurztraminer.  It is basically the third level wine in their hierarchy.  Light golden in color with a touch of green.  The nose is nice with citrus, slight orange peel and slight floral notes.  Very steely.  On the palate this is light bodied.  Very crisp and refreshing.  It has some depth but it more about raciness than complexity.  Very food friendly or on its own.  A nice match for soft cheeses to start a casual evening outside.  This probably shoul

An interesting take of Gewurtz.  Very different from the Alsatian counterparts.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has no lychee at all which is fine just a bit surprising.  It does have a floral quality to it, along with ginger and a strong mineral base.  Very nice.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  It is dry as a bone.  The minerality comes thru along with a granny smith apple note and a bit of orange peel.  Clean finish with no bitterness.  Overall, it is a very nice wine that worked excellently with a butternut squash soup.  It probably should be consumed in the n

Another great value from this winery.  Light golden in color.  The nose has lychees and a bit of minerals.  Medium bodied, slightly viscous.  Moderate acidity.  This is slightly sweet on the palate.  A bit of citrus.  Nice finish.  This drinks easily on its own and works with lighter or medium bodied foods.  Drink now, this was probably a bit fresher a year or so ago.  

This was served in a Sukkah before an Israel wine tasting.  Fun.  Light yello/gold in color.  The nose has nice limes, lemons and slight wax.  It is a blend of 65% Gewurztraminer and 35% Sauvignon Blanc.  The Gewurtz was not identifiable and this drank like a Sauvignon Blanc.  That said, it is a nice wine.  The palate has nice minerality with some lemons and a bit of tropical fruit (Guava?).  Good finish.  It is not mevushal but it is kosher.  

The evening wasn't quite done and this fit the bill for a little something sweet to finish the night.  From a 375ml bottle.  Deep golden/orange in color.  The nose is pretty with lychees, oranges and slight simple syrup.  Also a nice underlying minerality.  On the palate, this is slightly viscous.  Much fresher than a bottle a couple of years ago.  Lychees, apricots with a bit of sweetness.  A nice bit of acidity to balance things out.  Long finish that was clean and without bitterness.  Just delicious and interesting to sip on its own, it would work with a slightly sweet dessert.  

Mike Officer makes some really nice wines at fair prices.  His whites might even be better values than his reds.  This is a field blend of Gewürztraminer, Trousseau Gris, Riesling and other white grapes.  Pale silvery gold in color.  The nose is great with lychees, peaches and floral tones.  On the palate, this is slightly viscous.  Dry and refreshing.  Peaches and slight pears with good minerality.  Nice finish.  This is drinking quite well now and it probably should be consumed over the next couple of years.  It will go well with salads, sushi or even Thai food.  

An interesting blend of Gewurztraminer and Riesling.  It was sold for $20 which is a nice value.  Light gold/green in color.  Oddly, this seems to have some trapped CO2 in the bottle as it shows up on the glass if the not the palate.  Neither varietal seems to be very pronounced on the nose, although both show up a bit.  Slight lychee, apricot and minerals.  On the palate, this is viscous.  A perception of sweetness but seems dry though ripe.  Lychees and apricots.  Good finish.  Will work well with Indian or Thai food.  

Produced at Cave Vinicole de Kientzheim-Kaysersberg.  This was (surprisingly?) a couple of steps up from the 2015.  Light golden in color.  Great nose of Lychees and slight canned peaches.  On the palate, lively acidity cuts through the slight sweetness.  Lychees and peaches with underlying minerality.  Despite the acidity, the wine is round.  Will work great with spicy foods (this Asian) and lighter foods.  It retails for $17 which is a great value.  

What a delicious wine.  Golden in color.  The nose is gorgeous with lychees, and slight canned peaches in heavy syrup.  On the palate, this is viscous.  Slightly sweet but not dessert level.  Honey and peaches with good acidity.  Would work great with spicy foods.  Long finish.  This is sweet enough to not please though who insist on dry wines, but for those more varied in their tastes, this is delicious.  Young, this drank better on day 2.  It does have a touch of a bitterness that one sometimes finds in Gewurztraminer.  Enough to notice, not enough to mar the flavors of enjoyment.  This r