Gustave Lorentz Riesling Grand Cru Altenberg 2016 (halvflaske)

Decanter

The golden mean: that's what Alsace can offer to Riesling enthusiasts. A wine which is not raspingly or cuttingly dry, but not unctuously sweet either; a wine with backbone and structure, yet which can still tease and charm as only Riesling knows how. That's what you'll find in this Grand Cru version from the celebrated Altenberg de Bergheim vineyard: its sunny, south-facing marls have produced a tender, intricate yet round-contoured version with scents of summer fruits and citrus peels, and limpid, vivacious flavours given gravity by a textured fullness and a little greensap at the finish. It's a dry wine, but not demandingly so, and would drink well with food or without.

Wine Enthusiast

Notions of dried lemon peel are gentle on the nose of this wine but promise freshness. The palate delivers an incisive but balanced hit of vivid lemon and apple freshness. It stays slender, taut and lively throughout, with drive and concentration. Gentleness on the dry, fresh finish lends elegance.

Wine Review Online

I opened this wine and tasted it alongside this house’s 2017 Grand Cru Kanzlerberg (as well as three other Lorentz Rieslings) for a long and very pleasant evening, and then again over several subsequent days while they were refrigerated but unsealed. Although I did not admire the overtly sweet Burg” 2017 bottling, all of the others were exceptionally fine in their individuated ways. The Battle of the Grands Crus ended up in a dead heat, though the wines are utterly different. This release from the beautiful and formidable Altenberg de Bergheim vineyard is very rich and quite dramatic, with lots of palate weight as well as very expressive aromatics with a pleasant undertone of botrytis that fits nicely with the ripe profile of the fruit. This is certainly the fleshpot of the two, with the 2017 Kanzlerberg showing a much more cool, reserved, mineral character. The fact that this house could turn out two beauties with such different profiles is impressive.

James Suckling

An impressively vibrant wine for its age, this striking dry Alsace riesling has a ton of smoke and wild-herb character. Sleek and focused on the palate with plenty of mineral drive. Pulls you back to the glass for more!