2001 Stony Hill Gewurztraminer

For those of you unfamiliar with Gewurztraminer, this vintage is a good introduction to an ancient and revered varietal from Alsace. For loyal fans, we know the 2001 will please you. The wine is pale straw in color with the unmistakable varietal perfume in the nose. It is all barrel fermented with a flinty character and an appealing fresh quality about it as it begins to develop character. The sugar at crush was 20.5. We ferment the wine until it is bone dry leaving no residual sugar. This makes it a palate-cleansing wine perfect with dishes rich in fat such as pork, foie gras, pate, sweetbreads, sausage, quiche, and savory tarts. A great match for a mature Gewurztraminer would be a Munster cheese. (We usually suggest spicy foods to accompany our Gewurztraminer, but we also think that it is smart to pay attention to the cuisine in the grape's homeland since the evolution of food and wine in any region is inextricably linked.)