Review: Franzen, Elbling

It’s an exciting day for me. Why? Because I get to add a new wine variety to the list of those I’ve tried. That may sound silly, but it’s a big deal for grape nuts like me.

A number of years ago I earned my membership in the Wine Century Club, which recognizes wine enthusiasts who have tried wine from at least 100 different grape varieties. Ever since then, I’ve been working toward my “Doppel” status, for which you need to try at least 200 different grape varieties. It’s been slow going too. Once you get past that first 100, it gets more and more difficult to find wines made with grape varieties you haven’t previously tried. And yet, surprisingly, there are six members of the Wine Century Club who’ve topped 600 different grape varieties!

The new grape for me with this review is Elbling, which is a white wine grape primarily grown in the upstream parts of the Mosel river in Germany and Luxembourg. The juice from this grape tends to be high in acidity and low in sugar, lending itself well to sparkling wine production. This one, however, is a still wine.

The nose on this wine may be the most mineral nose I’ve ever encountered, and I love it. It’s like salty air, with some grapefruit and pineapple aromas wafting around the edges. On the palate it’s really light and refreshingly crisp, offering subtle lemon and green apple flavors with a nice, salty mineral aspect. The mouthfeel is lively and, for lack of a better word, fun. Although this isn’t a sparkling wine, the acidity gives a slight effervescent feeling on your tongue. The finish is reasonably long, with lingering lemon and salty flavors.

The alcohol level is pretty low on this wine, at 10.5%. I’m a fan of wines with lower alcohol, when they’re made well — which this one is.

Wine: Franzen, Elbling
Varieties: 100% Elbling
Vintage: 2018
Alcohol: 10.5%
Rating: 88
Average price: $19.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.