Alsace, Jura, and Savoie Flashcards
When was the Alsace AOC first established
The region was est. in 1945 after the Germans left at the end of WWII; Officially became an AOC in 1962, the last major winemaking region in France to do so
What are the allowed grapes for Alsace AOC white wines; what are the requirements
Riesling, Gewurtz, PG, Muscat (Blanc/Rose aPG and/or Ottonel), Muscat Ottonel, PB (PB & Aux), Sylvaner, Chasselas, Pinot/Klevner (PB, PG, Aux, &/or PN vinified white); must be 100% the stated varietal, bottled in the stated region of production (as of 1972)
What are the allowed grapes for Alsace AOC red wines; rose wines
Pinot Noir only for both
What is edelzwicker and what are the requirements
Translates to noble mixture. A blended white Alsace AOC wine. May be made from one or more the grapes allowed for varietal wines. may or may not be vintage dated
What is Gentil and what ar the requirements
A superior designation for Alsace AOC white blends. min 50% noble grapes; base varieties must be vinified separately; must be vintage dated
What is Vendage Tardive and what are the requirements
Late harvest Alsace white wine designation for AOC and AOC grand cru bottlings; may or may not show botrytis w/ a greater emphasis on varietal character, may be dry or sweet, Noble single varietal only; chaptalization not allowed, must be vintage dated, hand harvesting required, may not be released until 6/1 the 2nd year after harvest
What is Selection a Grains Noble and what are the requirements
Sweet, botrytised Alsace white wine designation for AOC and AOC grand cru bottlings; Must be hand harvested in tries and show botrytis, with less emphasis varietal character; noble single varietal only; chaptilization not allowed, must be vintage dated, may not be released until 6/1 the 2nd yr after harvest
What year were the VT and SGN designations created
1984
What are the min must weights for VT and SGN wines
VT: Ries/Muscat: 235 g/l; PG/Gwtz: 257 g/l SGN: Ries/Muscat: 276 g/l; PG/Gwtz: 306 g/l
What are the restrictions for residual sugar in Alsace AOC Riesling, when were they established
max 6 g/l RS for chaptilized wines; max 9 g/l for wines w/ < 6 g/l Tartaric Acid; max 12 g/l for wines > 6 g/l tartaric acid (most quality Riesling falls into this category); excludes VT, SGN and lieu-dit labeled wines; est. w/ the 2008 vintage
Haut Rhin
Alsace Department, southern half of the AOC, with Colmar at it’s center. Area for the premieres wines, 2/3 GC here.
Alsace climate
Semi-continental climate: sunny, warm and dry in summer, Indian summer in fall and cold in the winter. In the rainshadow of the Vosges Mtns: 2nd lowest rainfall in France @ 16-20 inches. Colmar is the driest city in France.
Alsace cities
Strasbourg, Selestat, Colmar, Mulhouse
Alsace geo
France’s smallest region. On the west bank of the upper Rhine, on the eastern border w/ Germany. Pfalz to the north, Baden to the east on the other side of the Rhine. Vineyards stretch 75 miles from north to south and vary in width from 1-9 miles. Vineyards mainly S and SE facing along the lower slopes and foothills of the Vosges Mtns at an altitude of 650-1300 ft
Alsace soil
50 million years ago the Vosges Mtns and the Black Forest in Germany were a single Massif. It collapsed and formed the Rhine plain. Vineyards are situated along the fault line between the remaining massif of the Vosges and the plain. The collapsed upper layers jumbled many soil types together, thus Alsace has 13 soil types, the most diverse in France.
Mtn Range: Granite Gneiss, Schist, Volcanic-Sedimentary, Sandstone
Hillside: Limestone, Limestone Sandstone, Marl Limestone, Marl Sandstone, Marl Clay, Limestone-Marl-Sandstone
Valley: Alluvial, Loess & Loam, Valley Floor Colluvial
Alsace communes for Savagnin Rose
aka Klevener de Heiligenstein. Heiligenstein, Bourgheim, Gertwiller, Goxwiller, and Obernai
Field blend advocate in Alsace
Marcel Deiss of Bergheim. Advocate of complantation: blending grapes from one site rather than single varietal. Played a large role in the 2005 INAO reform dropping the GC variety requirement and making Altenberg allow blends. Biodynamic
Producers that eschew the GC system
Trimbach of Ribeauville. known for its “purist” vision, producing dry wines that are labeled by proprietary names rather than grand cru designation b/c sites predate the category
Hugel et Fils of Riquewihr. Does not use the GC designation b/c they believe the system is overly inclusive. Had a pioneering role in the development of VT and SGN designations. Estate bottling and negocient
Leyon Bayer of Eguisheim
Alsace grand cru AOC
Est. with the Schlossberg vineyard in 1975, officially designated AOP with the addition of 24 sites in 1983, 25 vineyards added in 1992, Last vineyard added (Kaefferkopf) in 2007; became individual AOP’s in 2011
Alsace GCs for blends
Altenberg de Bergheim: Ries based blends: 50-70% Ries, 10-25% PG, 10-25% Gwrtz, max 10% comb’d Chass, Musc, PN, and PB
Kaefferkopf: Gwz based blends: 60-80% Gwtz, 10-40% Ries, max 30% PG, max 10% Musc
Alsace GCs for non noble grapes
Zotzenberg allows Sylvaner
Largest and smallest Alsace GC
Shlossberg @ ~80 ha, Kanzlerberg @ ~3 ha
