A Good Alsace Riesling Willm 2010

I’ve always said that I’m not much of a white wine drinker – I much prefer reds. Maybe I just haven’t been exposed to enough good white wine. Too much Baby Duck when I was younger, not to mention super sweet Rieslings while I was partying through Australia. This may sound odd for someone that loves wine so much but it’s only in the last few months that I’ve had some whites that I really liked. It started with Snooth’s tasting advice – their GTI (Global Tasting Initiative). Back in the fall, when I decided to make wine education a priority in my life, they had Pinot Gris as a GTI. So I picked up a bottle, assured that I wouldn’t enjoy it but that I would drink it anyway for the sake of a good education. To my surprise – it was wonderful. Pfaffenheim I believe it was and I just loved it.

Moving forward to the past few weeks. I’m going through Zraly’s book which I’m loving. First chapter is French Whites starting with Alsace. I tried a Gewurztraminer that I must admit was decent – just not my cup of tea. Tonight a Riesling. I went to the SAQ today and picked up a Willm 2010 Riesling.  Like the Pfaffenheim, another very pleasant surprise. Now I’m not about to say that I prefer whites over reds but man, there are some really nice whites out there. This one is fantastic. I really can’t wait to try it with some sushi – and the Mrs. loves sushi. Maybe next week we can try the pairing. I’ll try and add to this post once we do.

So 2010 Willm Riesling from Alsace – France. The nose is pretty simple – fresh citrus is strong, nice and enticing. The wine is very well balanced, a hint of sweetness but it’s not about the sweet. The sweet is like a little bonus, a little side-note. What this wine is really about is the finish. Remarkable. I feel like I have a lemondrop kicking around in the back of my mouth. A long sweet/sour lemony finish that is spectacular. I will very easily puck up a few more bottles of this and can give it a big thumbs up.