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The French Winophiles Dig Into Alsace with #AlsaceRocks

This month the French Winophiles are collaborating with the kind folks at Alsace Wines in their summer promotion, Alsace Rocks! This post is one in a series of four wine pairing challenges for Alsace wines with American dishes.

Fresh spring flavors were set of beautifully by the Cave de Ribeauvillé Pinot Blanc

Fresh peas are wonderful, but are you a fan of shelling them? I say just eat them raw in their pods!

After a long winter we love finally being able to eat out on the deck.

Pairing #2 Alsace Pinot Blanc Paired with Shrimp Pasta with Peas
I didn’t have a clear picture of what to expect with our Pinot Blanc.  I have had Alsace Pinot Blanc previously, I expected it to be crisp and dry, but beyond that, I didn’t have a specific idea of the aromas and flavors. I decided to go with an appropriate spring pairing for a generally crisp white wine. We enjoyed Pea & Shrimp Penne with Basil for dinner over our bottle of Pinot Blanc from the Cave de Ribeauvillé. Especially nice, as we had stayed in Ribeauvillé on our Alsace visit and we loved the town.

The Pinot Blanc was indeed nice and crisp, but quite different from the Riesling. The challenge is how to describe it. While it was lively with good acid, it was not as tart as the Riesling. The aromas and flavors were also quite different as they tended toward apples, pears and a good helping of chalk.  If Riesling isn’t your thing, find a bottle of Pinot Blanc!

Cave de Ribeauvillé Pinot Blanc

Cave de Ribeuvillé
Info from the Cave Cooperative: “La Cave de Ribeauvillé is the oldest wine co-op in France and a highly regarded Alsace producer. Today the Cave’s vineyards cover 655 acres on a patchwork of soil types, with 110 member dedicated to the principles of winemaking and wine marketing. The cooperative produces all 7 of the classic Alsace varieties, and is also the owner of 8 Grands Crus. The Cave operates under a unique Quality Charter, created in 2001 and signed by all the winegrowers, which calls for 100% parcel traceability, strict yield control and total organic or sustainable farming. The current head winemaker of Cave de Ribeauvillé is Evelyne Bleger-Dondelinger, who started in 2001.”

La Cave de Ribeauvillé Pinot Blanc AOC 2015 (sample, $18 SRP)
Eye: Clear, pale lemon with clear legs
Nose: Clean, medium- intensity. Fresh crisp red apples and underripe pear with a bit of chalk behind
Mouth: Dry, medium+ acid, medium body, crisp but not bracing or tart. Medium alcohol. Strong fruit impressions with apples and more pear with a definite chalky note. Lingers into a medium+ finish. Gives me an impression of quinine (like tonic).