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Domaine Schoffit Harth Tradition Riesling 2004
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Bernard Schoffit's Harth vineyard lies on the flat plain of the Rhine near Colmar in Alsace;
Harth claims status as Lieu-Dit, or “named place,” a title that connotes a tradition of
quality rather than a particular legal designation of excellence, as would be the case among
Schoffit's own Alsatian Grand Crus. Legally the wine is Appellation Alsace Contrôlée, but
factually it is the product of a single proud vineyard. By carefully managing yields, Schoffit coaxes a great deal from the $16 Harth Riesling. The experience begins on the nose with some real minerality—petrol and bicycle tire rubber—which rapidly eases out on the palate to a satisfying stoniness. The fruit is more important; it has a power and yet an elegance: white peach above all on the nose and repeated on the palate, a touch of banana on the palate, a broad and lasting citrus layer with suggestions of orange peel that lasts through to the excellent finish.
The bottom line with this Riesling: the fruit dominates the minerality, but the fruit, and its
acid in this dry wine (typical for Alsace) presents many enjoyable layers. The wine, like the
grower, commits to a definite direction, and it works.
Verdict: Fruit Experience |
Tasting Archive
Great wine uses complexity to express itself with simplicity. 
James Beard Award Nominee Elliot Essman
http://www.stylegourmet.com/wine/tas00035.htm
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