Gewürztraminer is one of those grapes that just doesn’t get enough love.  When Gewürztraminer is done right, it produces complex, subtly sweet, crisp wine that can blow away the middle of the road riesling or moscato with plenty of spicy depth.  It does this by borrowing Viognier’s floral notes, spices from Syrah, and slight sweetness from Riesling, to create a unique flavor profile among the varietals.  As at least one beer drinker recently put it, ‘this is a beer drinkers wine, it’s mildly effervescent’ and sometimes the spicy characteristics are similar to hops.  Can 2010 Fetzer Gewürztraminer show us what Gewürztraminer can do, or is it set to linger in obscurity? 

Sight:  A bright and brilliant gold.  Slightly effervescent looking.

Smell:  There’s a light sort of riesling rubber that initially jumps up, but is replaced by lychees, limes, starfruit, apricots, and a sort mild of honeysuckle – clover note.

Sip:  It’s amazing how the sweetness comes out of nowhere based on the nose.  While it implies that it will be dry, there’s a sudden burst of sweetness that settles down into an off-dry wine.  The mouth feel ends up robust, but moderate as a result, with a firmly acidic backbone.  The flavor is laced with all sort of lychee, honeysuckle, and other floral flavors.  There are also compliments from lemon, wet stone, and apricot throughout the experience.  [A.B.V. 12%]

Savor:  There’s a certain lemony-honey freshness that runs through the finish.  The finish actually lingers for an amazing period of time, touching on a lot of various floral flavors from lilies to roses.

Overall, 2010 Fetzer Gewürztraminer is quite an incredibly floral wine for the price.  While it doesn’t particularly evoke as many spices as it could, it provides an amazingly long and varied finish for the cost.  It’s acidity and mild sweetness ensures it can pair with plenty of foods from fish to poultry, but also is drinkable on it’s own.  A definite try for any riesling lovers at the Thanksgiving table.

Verdict:  Green Flower Power
Price: $5.97
California
http://www.fetzer.com/Default.aspx