ABOUT: Schlumberger makes precise and honest wines in Alsace, crafting noble grapes Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer into some first rate wines from Grand Cru sites Saering, Kitterle, Spiegel and Kessler. Schlumberger was established in 1810 and is now in its 7th generation with Severine and Thomas Schlumberger at the wheel alongside patriarch Alain Beydon-Schlumberger. They’ve been working their 140 hectares sustainably since 2003 and have been incorporating organic and biodynamic practices into their program since 2006. They employ 4 Cheval Comtois draught horses which are buff as hell if you’ve never seen them. Look ‘em up for yourself. Alsatian wines go down easy around the Bio Wine office, they’re often high quality, undervalued, and versatile. Good in the summer and winter. Schlumberger fits into this bracket perfectly, over-performing and providing great pleasure and value. TASTE: The Saering Grand Cru slope faces east and southeast up the hill around 300 meters above sea level and sits on a patchwork of marl, limestone, and sandstone. It’s a generous site for vines and Riesling achieves a pretty perfect amount of consistent, comfortable ripeness here. The Schlumberger Saering Riesling is so popping with aromas and flavors of apples, pears and pineapples that it plays a trick on the nose and tongue and leads one to think it is off dry. Not so in fact, and it achieves a perfectly balanced 14% alcohol and spills with aforementioned fruits as well as white pepper, jasmine flower and sea brine. Long finish with a dash of bitterness, lots of room for development. It’s a rich, viscous mouthful of Riesling if there ever was one.
PAIR: Asparagus Mimosa, Spargel mit butter, coconut curry, lime and black bean rice, lemongrass chickpea Thai green curry, and mango chutney with brie.
