Technical presentation
| Bottling : | February 2006 |
|---|---|
| Acquired alcohol : | 14.1° |
| Residual sugar : | 28.0 g/l |
| Total acidity : | 4.9 g/l H2SO4 (7.5 g/l Tartrique) |
| pH : | 3.5 |
| Yield : | 35 hl/ha |
| Average age of vines : | 27 years |
| Terroir : | Clos Windsbuhl |
| Sweetness index : | 2 |
| Soil : | Muschelkalk calcareous, South facing |
Description of the wine Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl 2004
In 2004, only the oldest vines from the Windsbuhl were used to produce this wine. The youngest ones were declassified in the Pinot Gris (Lot 150). The Clos Windsbuhl is an old calcareous (Muschelkalk= sea calcareous) hill of 6ha, located in the village of Hunawihr. It enjoys a very cool climate and late ripening season, always responsible for great acidity and a unique fruity character. Just like the Rotenberg, the top soil is very thin on the top part of the vineyard (where the Riesling and some of the Pinot Gris is planted is planted) and richer on the bottom part (Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris older vines). The grapes ripened perfectly in 2004, but without noble rot. It was very tempting to expect noble rot in 2004, as the grapes were wonderfully healthy and ripe early October, with great acidity potential. Sadly, the change of weather made us harvest before. The wine fermented very slowly for 12 months and was only racked during the 2005 harvest !
Tasting notes
01/2006 : The nose shows wonderful complex aromas (cocoa, nuts, almonds, minerals, burnt bread crust), even if it seems already open, I expect even more flavours in the future, as the wine is still on its lees and therefore reductive. The palate is round (this is the sweetest non VT Pinot-Gris), but the sweetness isn’t quite obvious, as there is enough acidity and structure to make the wine taste very harmonious and luscious.
The Clos Windsbuhl of Hunawihr
The altitude of the vineyard coupled with Hunawihr’s tardy climate means that the Clos Windsbuhl is often one of the last of our vineyards to be harvested. This explains the aromatic quality of the Clos’ wines and the consistent balance of acidity, a guarantee of good ageing. Although often harvested late, the Windsbuhl grapes are only rarely botryitized, doubtless due to the altitude of the vineyard, but nevertheless often reach high levels of maturity.