Charles Baur Brings the Best Value in Aromatic Whites from Alsace
K&L has been working with Charles Baur winery directly for over 20 years, and, as impossible as it seems, the wines get better every year. At the helm of Charles Baur winery is Arnaud Baur Jr., who has been in charge for 10+ years. With a history that dates back almost 100 years to 1930, Charles Baur winery is an icon in Alsace. What really separates Charles Bur from other Alsatian wineries is the value of their wines—at a fraction of the price that many other domaines charge, their wines stand toe-to-toe in terms of quality.
Alsace’s 2022 vintage is another in a recent string of excellent vintages. The 2022 Charles Baur Sylvaner Alsace $12.99 92TS 92JS 90VN is exactly what you would want from a Sylvaner: orchard fruits and citrus nestled against spice and limestone notes that give way to an energetic palate of fruit and minerality. Racy and taut, this is a great example of Sylvaner and incredibly affordable.
Pound-for-pound and dollar-for-dollar the 2022 Charles Baur "Cuvée Charles" Riesling Alsace $14.99 92JS 91TS is the best Riesling we carry at K&L. Hyperbole aside, this wine absolutely sings straight from the glass with aromas of petrol, almonds, and citrus with so much energy and drive on the palate with layered mineral and fruit notes. This wine has a long, full finish and is amazing when viewed against its under $15 price!
An impressive lieu-dit Gewürztraminer, the 2021 Charles Baur "Fronenberg" Gewürztraminer Alsace $17.99 93JS is a classic version of the variety with notes of rose water, peach, and clove on the nose while the palate abounds in peach and lychee flavors with a sensual mouthfeel.
If you want to go up in quality but very little in price, there is the 2018 Charles Baur Brand Riesling Grand Cru Alsace $23.99 93pts JS 92pts WE which is insanely good from one of Alsace’s greatest Grand Cru vineyard sites. Brand is known for producing some of Alsace’s most sought-after Rieslings and to be able to get a wine this incredible for under $25 is insane! Petrol and wet stone aromas hint at the regality of this wine while the palate unfurls to showcase mineral, citrus and orchard fruit flavors with racy acidity and impressive complexity. For comparison sake other producers are charging cloes to $100 a bottle for their Grand Cru Brand Rieslings while you’ll pay just a fraction of the price for this wonderfully-showing Brand Riesling from Charles Baur.
If you skip past the two sparkling wines from Charles Baur you are definitely missing out. The current generation of Sparkling wines coming out of Alsace represent some of the best values in the world in Sparkling wines and Charles Baur is amongst the leaders here. The Charles Baur Crémant d'Alsace Brut Rosé $17.99 is packed with spicy raspberry and cinnamon notes on a palate loaded with juicy fruit notes, crisp minerality and a creamy mousse often found on a top Rose from Champagne. At Charles Baur "Emotion" Cremant d'Alsace Brut $19.99 92pts JS 92pts WE 91pts VN is a killer deal at under $20. This wine easily rivals any Sparkling wine we carry from any region in the world for under $20. Tasted blind this could easily fool you as a $40 French Champagne with notes of brioche, rich orchard fruits and crisp acidity this wine drinks fabulously well. Take home this dynamic duo of Sparkling wines from Charles Baur and you will not be disappointed, I guarantee it!
If you want to go up in quality but very little in price, there is the 2018 Charles Baur Brand Riesling Grand Cru Alsace $23.99 93JS 92WE, which is insanely good from one of Alsace’s greatest Grand Cru vineyard sites. The Brand vineyard is known for producing some of Alsace’s most sought-after Rieslings, and to be able to get a wine this incredible for under $25 is insane! Petrol and wet stone aromas hint at the regality of this wine while the palate unfurls to showcase mineral, citrus, and orchard fruit flavors with racy acidity and impressive complexity. For comparison’s sake, other producers are charging close to $100 a bottle for their Grand Cru Brand Rieslings—you’ll pay just a fraction of the price for this wonderful Brand Riesling from Charles Baur.
If you skip past the two sparkling wines from Charles Baur you are definitely missing out. The current generation of sparkling wines coming out of Alsace represent some of the best values in the world in bubbly. The Charles Baur Crémant d'Alsace Brut Rosé $17.99 is packed with spicy raspberry and cinnamon notes on a palate loaded with juicy fruit notes, crisp minerality, and a creamy mousse often found on a top rosé from Champagne. At Charles Baur "Emotion" Cremant d'Alsace Brut $19.99 92JS 92WE 91VN is a killer deal at under $20. This wine easily rivals any sparkler we carry from any region in the world for under $20. Tasted blind this could easily fool you as a $40 French Champagne with notes of brioche, rich orchard fruits, and crisp acidity. It drinks fabulously well. Take home this dynamic duo of sparkling wines from Charles Baur and you will not be disappointed, I guarantee it!