Alsace: NW German border, France Flashcards
Alsace - Important Climate/Location Factors:
German Influence:
On the border. Swaying rule. Some German grapes, French Dryness.
The Vosges Mountains:
Creates Rain Shadow Effect = Driest + Sunniest
Local Pink Sandstone - Grés de Vosges
Alsace - The Vosges:
Vosges Mountains: W of Alsace, Create a rain shadow effect = driest + sunniest climates in France
Alsace - Sub-Districts:
2 categories, Indicative of Quality:
Haut-Rhin, S - Premier Quality, contains 2/3 of Grand crus
Bas-Rhin, N - typically lower quality
——-
Alsace AOC, Central - Slice in the middle, in both Bas + Haut-Rhin,
———————-
Jura S of Alsace
Savoie S of Jura
Alsace - Location of Best Vineyards:
at the base of the Voges Mountains, in Haut-Rhin Department
Alsace - Soil Types:
Geologic Mosaic; granite, limestone, schist, clay, gravel, chalk, loess, Marl, - sandstone, volcanic, gneiss
***local pink sandstone—grés de Vosges—found throughout region.
Details:
Although the soil structure varies greatly from village to village, the steeper mountain slopes are generally composed of schist, granite and volcanic sediment. The lower slopes sit on a limestone base, and the plain at the base of the mountains consists of richer alluvial clay and gravel soils. Reflection on soil type is critical in consideration of the appropriate grape variety.
Alsace - Grape Varietals:
4 Noble Grapes:
- Riesling = dry, more powerful + higher alc than German
- Pinot Gris = Tokay d’Alsace/Tokay Pinot Gris, is perhaps Alsace’s quintessential wine: achieves its fullest, richest expression, w/ spicy-smoky qualities + a frame of good acidity.
- Gewurztraminer
highly aromatic, perfumed, sweet spices + tropical fruit. lower acidity, higher in alc + more likely to be off-dry. - Muscat (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains/Muscat Rosé à Petits Grains/Muscat Ottonel) =
highly aromatic; shows fragrant floral + grapy, Lower acidity
—- typically large neutral oak casks
~5 communes may bottle Klevener under Alsace AOP:
Heiligenstein, Bourgheim, Gertwiller, Goxwiller, + Obernai.
Alsace - Appellations:
Alsace AOP/Vin d’Alsace AOP
must contain 100% of the printed grape:
allows noble grapes, Pinot Blanc (Klevner), Chasselas (Gutedel), Sylvaner, + Pinot Noir to be bottled varietally
Alsace - Grand Crus:
Varietals + Sites:
Alsace Grand Cru AOP decreed in 1975 with Schlossberg, specified for the appellation.
Another 24 grand cru vineyards appeared in 1983, followed by additional 25 in 1992.
A 51st grand cru, Kaefferkopf, was added in 2007.
——- Alsace Grand Crus - Commune, Department———–
Altenberg de Bergbieten AOP - Bergbieten, Bas
Altenberg de Bergheim AOP - Bergheim, Haut
Altenberg de Wolxheim AOP - Wolxheim, Bas
Brand AOP - Turckheim, Haut
Bruderthal AOP - Molsheim, Bas
Eichberg AOP - Eguisheim, Haut
Engelberg AOP - Dahlenheim + Scharrachbergheim, Bas
Florimont AOP - Ingersheim + Katzenthal, Haut
Frankstein AOP - Dambach-la-Ville, Bas
Froehn AOP - Zellenberg, Haut
Furstentum AOP - Kientzheim + Sigolsheim, Haut
Geisberg AOP - Ribeauvillé, Haut
Gloeckelberg AOP - Rodern + Saint-Hippolyte, Haut
Goldert AOP - Gueberschwihr, Haut
Hatschbourg AOP - Hattstatt + Voegtlinshoffen, Haut
Hengst AOP - Wintzenheim, Haut
Kaefferkopf AOP - Ammerschwihr, Haut
Kanzlerberg AOP - Bergheim, Haut
Kastelberg AOP - Andlau, Bas
Kessler AOP - Guebwiller, Haut
Kirchberg de Barr AOP - Barr, Bas
Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé AOP - Ribeauvillé, Haut
Kitterlé AOP - Guebwiller, Haut
Mambourg AOP - Sigolsheim, Haut
Mandelberg AOP - Mittelwihr + Beblenheim, Haut
Marckrain AOP - Bennwihr + Sigolsheim, Haut
Moenchberg AOP - Andlau + Eichhoffen, Bas
Muenchberg AOP - Nothalten, Bas
Ollwiller AOP - Wuenheim, Haut
Osterberg AOP - Ribeauvillé, Haut
Pfersigberg AOP - Eguisheim + Wettolsheim, Haut
Pfingstberg AOP - Orschwihr, Haut
Praelatenberg AOP - Kintzheim, Bas
Rangen AOP - Thann + Vieux-Thann, Haut
Rosacker AOP - Hunawihr, Haut
Saering AOP - Guebwiller, Haut
Schlossberg AOP - Kayserberg + Kientzheim, Haut
Schoenenbourg AOP - Riquewihr + Zellenberg, Haut
Sommerberg AOP - Niedermorschwihr + Katzenthal, Haut
Sonnenglanz AOP - Beblenheim, Haut
Spiegel AOP - Bergholtz + Guebwiller, Haut
Sporen AOP - Riquewihr, Haut
Steinert AOP - Pfaffenheim ++ Westhalten, Haut
Steingrubler AOP - Wettolsheim, Haut
Steinklotz AOP - Marlenheim, Bas
Vorbourg AOP - Rouffach + Westhalten, Haut
Wiebelsberg AOP - Andlau -Bas
Wineck-Schlossberg AOP - Katzenthal +
Ammerschwihr, Haut
Winzenberg AOP - Blienschwiller, Bas
Zinnkoepflé AOP - Soultzmatt + Westhalten, Haut
Zotzenberg AOP - Mittelbergheim, Bas
-Important Clos Vineyards that aren’t Grand Cru in Alsace-
Clos des Capucins (Kaysersberg, Domaine Weinbach) Clos de la Faille (Wintzenheim, Albert Mann) Clos Häuserer (Wintzenheim, Zind-Humbrecht) Clos Himmelreich (Orschwihr, Lucien Albrecht) Clos Jebsal (Turckheim, Zind-Humbrecht) Clos Rebberg (Andlau, Marc Kreydenweiss) Clos Rebgarten (Andlau, Marc Kreydenweiss) Clos des Récollets (Rouffach, Lucien Albrecht) Clos Ribeaupierre (Ribeauvillé, Jean Sipp - was AKA Clos du Schlossberg) Clos Windsbuhl (Hunawihr, Zind-Humbrecht)
Alsace - Cremant:
Pinot Noir is the only red variety permitted for Alsace AOP wines. Light red + rosé wines = result, wines can achieve depth in warmer vintages.
Pinot Noir may contribute to the Crémant d’Alsace AOP blend, Pinot Blanc is the workhorse for these. Crémant d’Alsace = only appellation in region to allow Chardonnay; + Riesling, Pinot Gris + Auxerrois.
Sparkling wine production has developed into a profitable + expansive pursuit for Alsatian houses, commanding nearly a quarter-share of appellation’s output.
Alsace - Styles of wine:
Terms imply sweetness + may be either Alsace AOP or Alsace Grand Cru AOP labels, provided the wines contain a single, noble variety +pass a blind tasting panel:
VT = Vendanges Tardives may show botrytis character but emphasizes varietal purity. Quality VT wines usually originate from vines in a state of passerillage SGN = Sélections de Grains Nobles generally picked in tries, + suppress varietal character in return for the complexities of botrytis
Passerillage = Process of Drying Grapes
Extra-details:
VT + SGN wines = obligated by statute to be sweet; in practice SGN wines are always dessert-like but VT wines may vary in actual sugar, and can be quite dry. Grapes for both wines must be hand-harvested at specific, unenriched minimum sugar levels: Vendanges Tardives requires a minimum of 235 grams per liter for Muscat and Riesling, and 257 grams per liter for Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. Sélection de Grains Nobles requires 276 grams per liter for Muscat and Riesling and 306 grams per liter for Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. At 306 grams per liter, these wines are amongst the highest minimum must weights in France.
Alsace - Labeling Terms:
Auxerrois: Even if bottled as a single variety, may be
accorded the title of “Pinot Blanc”
Pinot (White): may contain any proportion of related
varieties—Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris + Auxerrois.
Edelzwicker (“noble mixture”) = inexpensive blended wine. Alsace AOP wines labeled Edelzwicker do not need vintage-dated, nor contain more than one grape, any percentages or grapes on the label.
Gentil = is a superior designation for blends, requiring min = 50% noble grapes.
Alsace - Alsatian Wine Law:
AOC/AOP - Top: 90% of AOP wine = white
IGP - Middle:
Vin de Pays - Last:
Grand Cru AOP Rule= only noble Alsatian grapes + typically single-varietal wines.
Grands crus Altenberg de Bergheim + Kaefferkopf may blend according to certain prescribed proportions.
Zotzenberg = historical site for Sylvaner, the grape is permitted in Grand Cru AOP varietal wines from the vineyard.
Hand-harvesting is mandatory for all grand cru wines.
51 Grand Crus:
min alc = 11% for Riesling + Muscat
min alc = 12.5% Pinot Gris + Gewutz
certain vineyards mandate higher amounts.
“Gentil” is a superior designation for blends, requiring min = 50% noble grapes.
Details: Any other Alsace AOP grape may compose the remainder, + base wines must be vinified separately. Finally, some producers advocate field blends as the best approach for serious wines. In this case, the grapes are typically vinified together + produced under a vineyard name. Marcel Deiss is one of the staunchest advocates of using this approach as a means of emphasizing Alsatian terroir
Alsace - Traminer History + Details:
~5 communes may bottle Klevener under Alsace AOP:
Heiligenstein, Bourgheim, Gertwiller, Goxwiller, + Obernai.
Gewurztraminer = pink-berried clone of traditional grape Traminer, + replaced it in Alsace’s vineyards in latter half 19th century.
Another pink variant of Traminer= Savagnin in the Jura—retains a few plantings around the commune of Heiligenstein in the Bas-Rhin; the grape is known locally as Klevener. This Savagnin Rose, or Klevener de Heiligenstein, is less intensely aromatic than Gewurztraminer but higher in acidity.
Alsace - Lorraine:
The neighboring région Lorraine declined as a winegrowing area.
In the Côtes de Toul AOP, light red wines are produced from Pinot Noir + white wines contain Auxerrois + Aubin. Rosé wines, made in a pale vin gris style, include a high proportion of Gamay + Pinot Noir.
The small Moselle AOP upgraded from VDQS in 2011, produces red, white + rosé wines, principally from Auxerrois + Pinot Noir. As the Moselle River flows north from France, it forms the border between Luxemburg + Germany. As its waters pass Trier, the river carves through the sheer slopes of one of Germany’s greatest regions for the Riesling grape: the Mosel Valley.
Alsace - Top Producers:
- All from Haut-Rhin Department -
Trimbach - Ribeauvillé 1626
completely dry + no res sugar, malo avoided. Fined, –filtered + btl early. steel tanks
Zind-Humbrecht - Turckheim 1959
–Olivier H. “hands off”, very slow ferm. (up to several –mo.), indigenous yeasts. Malo is not stopped if it occurs. –6mo on lees in old oak. btl 1-2 years after harvest.
Domaine Weinbach - Kientzheim 1898
–hand-harvested + pressed as whole clusters in modern –pnuematic presses. Must settles at cellar temperature + –fermented using indigenous yeasts. ferment + age in –large foudres for several mo., depending on cuvée. –filtered before bottling.
Albert Boxler - Niedermorschwihr 1673
–hand-harvested + pressed, cold-settled prior to ferm. w/ –indigenous yeasts. All fermented in foudres except for –Gewurztraminer bottlings + all VT + SGN which ferment –in stainless steel. The wines receive a small addition of –sulfur prior to btl.
Marcel Deiss - Bergheim 1947
–hand-harvested + pressed as whole clusters in basket –press. Must settles at cellar temperature + fermented –using indigenous yeasts. Ferment + age in large foudres –for at least 1 year. Filtered + bottled, minimal sulfur.
