The Trimbach Gewurztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles Hors Choix 2007 is a rare, intensely sweet Alsace white made only in seasons that warrant it, with the Hors Choix designation reserved for years such as 1989 and 2000. Deep gold in the glass and dense on the palate, it carries around 124 g/L of residual sugar without ever feeling heavy-handed.

Drawn from the family's oldest Gewurztraminer plantings and picked late with noble rot well advanced, the 2007 opens on rose petal, mirabelle and yellow-fleshed stone fruit, with mango and a lick of brown spice behind. Air brings honey and dried apricot, plus the faint waxy, gingery lift that botrytis leaves in Gewurztraminer.

Richness is the first impression and balance is the second. Honeyed, almost syrupy weight coats the mouth, threaded with 5.2 g/L of acidity that keeps the sweetness moving rather than settling. Chocolate, white raisin and candied citrus peel run through a long, unhurried close that stays juicy to the last.

Pour it small and cold alongside Roquefort or a well-aged comté, or with tarte tatin, poached quince and almond tart. It also holds its own against foie gras terrine, and is complete enough to serve on its own after dinner in place of dessert.

This Alsace Sélection de Grains Nobles is drinking beautifully now and has the concentration and acid backbone to keep evolving through to 2040 and beyond in a cool, dark cellar.