Alsace/Jura/Savoie-Nellites Flashcards
Aging potential for Alsatian wine
Superb aging potential.
- Longest lived DRY whites in the world
- Vendange Tardive
- Sélection de Grains Nobles
- Grand Cru bottlings
Appellation d’Origine Contrôlées of Alsace
- Alsace AOC (1962, the last of France’s major regions)
— White (90%), Rosé and Red
— Must be 100% if labeled varietal
— Chaptalization permitted! - Crémant d’Alsace AOC (1976)
— Sparkling White and Rosé
— Pinot Blanc is the major grape in most blends
— Rosé is 100% Pinot Noir - Alsace Grand Cru AOC (1975)
— Four nobles ONLY
— Single variety (Two exceptions permit blending: Altenberg de Bergheim and Kaefferkopf)
Soil types of Alsace
- Very diverse!
- Alluvial (loose sedimentary) Granite, Marl, Schist, and Gravel etc.
- Important subsoil: Gres de Vosges, pink sandstone used to build churches
Climate of Alsace
- Semi-Continental climate
- Vosges rain shadow makes it the sunniest and driest region in France!
- Colmar (the Capitol) is the driest city in France
Grapes of Alsace
- Four Noble white grapes: Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Gris (formerly Tokay d’Alsace) and Muscat
- Other white: Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Chasselas, Auxerrois, Sylvaner
- Pinot Noir (only allowed RED variety)
Style of Alsatian Wine
- Pure fruit expression, no oak
- Riesling is DRY, more powerful, and higher in alcohol than German cousins
- Muscat: Low acid, highly aromatic
- Gewurztraminer: Low acid, highly aromatic, often off dry
- Pinot Gris: Full, rich, good acidity
— Formerly known as Tokay d’Alsace or Tokay Pinot Gris
Explain the sweet wines of Alsace
- Vendanges Tardive (VT)
- Selection de Grains Nobles (SGN, usually sweet, very rare)
— Late harvest wines produced rarely (maybe once or twice a decade)
— Can be Alsace AOP or Alsace Grand Cru AOP
— Single variety (one of the four nobles)
— Must pass a blind tasting panel
— Do NOT have to be sweet - SGN is required to have Botrytis Cenerea while VT isn’t (though it still can)
Trimbach
Ribeauvillé, Alsace, France
- Family made wine since 1626
- Specialize in dry Riesling
- One of the largest owners of Grand Cru Vineyards in the region
— Grand Crus: Rosacker, Geisberg, Osterberg, Mandelberg, Schlossberg, Brand
- Clos Ste Hune Riesling (Rosacker Grand cru) is their most famous, extraordinary aging potential
Domaine Albert Boxler
Sommerberg & Brand Grand Crus, Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France
- A family that has been in Alsace since 1673
- Bottled their first wines in 1946
- Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc are the specialties of the domaine
Best Alsatian Vintages from the last 15 years?
2015-2020 with ‘19 and ‘15 being outliers
Worst Alsatian Vintages from the last 15 years?
Most Alsatian vintages of the past 15 years are exceptional though ‘11, ‘13 and ‘14 are said to be past their peak.
Quality Classification of Alsace
- 51 Grand Crus
— The first recognized in 1975 (Schlossberg) the most recent in 2007 (Kaefferkopf) - No Premier Crus (but they are working on it)
- Lieu-Dit (for unique terroir) and Communes for idfk
Alsace Sweetness Levels
-Alsace Sec (Dry): sugar content does not exceed 4g/liter.
-Demi-Sec (Medium-Dry): sugar content between 4 g/l and 12 g/liter.
-Moelleux: (Sweet) -sugar content between 12 g/litre and 45 g/liter.
-Doux (Sweet): sugar content exceeds 45g/liter.
Ideal vineyard location within Alsace Region
- Thin strip along the foothills of Vosges Mountains
- Southern, Southeastern or Eastern exposure to maximize sunlight
- Elevations between 600 and 1300 ft
Geography of Alsace
- Rheine River (Eastern border with Germany)
- Ill River (S to N, drains the plains of Alsace)
- Vosges Mountains (West, form rain shadow)
- Bas-Rhin (North): ‘Lower Rhine’ because of the elevation, not latitude
- Haut-Rhin (South): ‘Upper Rhine’, more prestigious!
- Colmar is the wine capitol (driest city in France)
Edelzwicker
- Inexpensive blended wine
- Means ‘noble mixture’ but it’s garbage
-‘Gentil’ is at least 50% noble grapes
What are the main grapes of Jura?
White:
- Chardonnay (Gamay Blanc)
- Savignin (Naturé or Traminer)
Red:
- Poulsard (Ploussard)
- Trousseau
- Pinot Noir
What is ‘vin jaune’?
‘Yellow wine’
- Deliberately oxidized white wine produced in Jura
- Specialty of Chateau Chalon AOP (a commune, not a producer)
— Savagnin (Naturé) ONLY
— Barrel aged for 6 years
— Bottled in clavelin (squat bottle)
What is ‘vin de paille’?
‘Straw wines’
- Sweet wine produced from dried grapes in Jura
— Ripe (but not botrytised) grapes are dried on straw mats or hung for six weeks
— High acid, high sugar, high alcohol
What is the style of popular Jura wines?
Jura wines are known for being light, ethereal reds and oxidative whites. Many Jura wines are rare and highly sought after.
Where is Jura located?
- Southwest of Alsace
- East of Burgundy’s Cote d’Or
- North of Savoie
What style of wines are produced in Savoie?
- White, red and sparkling
- Known to be fruit forward and crisp
Grapes of Savoie? White? Red?
White:
- Jacquère (most common)
- Altesse* (Roussette, Roussette de Savoie AOP—100% Altesse)
- Roussanne* (Bergeron)
Red:
- Gamay
- Mondeuse
- Pinot Noir
* Best wines *
Where is Savoie located?
- East of Beaujolais, onthe eastern border of Bugey
- South of Jura
- In the Alps bordering Switzerland and Italy
