One doesn’t see a lot of Alsatian Muscat on wine lists. That's too bad since it is a classic wine from a classic region. I was happy to pick up a bottle of Zind-Humbrecht Goldert from Vinopolis for $44.

The color’s a rich gold-orange with deep concentration and high viscosity.  The nose has two worlds battling it out for your attention: flower versus fruit.  Heavy gardenia and lilac with intense citrus oil, ripe tangerine, over-ripe strawberry, super-ripe peach and cantaloupe.  This is accompanied by honey [think botrytis] and freshly dug out of the ground fennel.

The palate is slightly off-dry, medium-plus bodied, medium-minus acid with more nuances stacked onto the bouquet’s profile: a ripe mango, ripe red cherry, ripe red apple, and mint.  The honey and fennel are two cherished attributes of the wine. The finish is long with a touch of minerality and citrus oil. The wine’s abv is 13.5%.

The lower acid of the wine, its intense fruit and floral qualities, plus the fennel aspect makes it a perfect match for dishes that have a vinaigrette component such as a salad of gathered greens with fresh fruit and nuts.

Anthony Garcia
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