Technical presentation
| Bottling : | September 2005 |
|---|---|
| Acquired alcohol : | 15.9° |
| Residual sugar : | 7.8 g/l |
| Total acidity : | 3.4 g/l H2SO4 (5.2 g/l Acide Tartrique) |
| pH : | 3.8 |
| Yield : | 31 hl/ha |
| Average age of vines : | 35 years |
| Terroir : | Grand Cru Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain |
| Sweetness index : | 1 |
| Soil : | Sedimentary volcanic rocks (Tuffs & Grauwake), South facing, Very steep slope |
Description of the wine Pinot Gris Grand Cru Rangen from Thann Clos Saint Urbain 2004
It seems that the Rangen de Thann Pinot-Gris goes from one extreme to the other: it is either the sweetest or the driest of the wines in this grape variety! This can be explained perhaps by the presence of botrytis. The steep slope, dark coloured volcanic stoned and river at the bottom would definitely help for great late season ripeness, but also for an intense botrytis development when the climate is favourable. Like any other wine in this vintage, late botrytis wasn’t a good option, so these grapes were harvested before. The ripeness was very high, and with the action of the Rangen yeasts, the fementation went through quite quickly, in a really powerful way, living little sweetness at the end. I always say that dry PG are the most difficult wines to produce, as high ripeness often ends up in a sweet style. This is not the case of the 2004 Rangen !
Tasting notes
01/2006 : The nose says it all: restraint, lean, smoky, earthy, flinty, almost peaty flavours dominate all other aromas and shout loud the vineyard volcanic origin. There is no chance for any fruity flavours to come through at the moment! The palate is rich, powerful, intense and again is a display of wet stones, flinty flavours. There is a definite warmth but nicely balanced with the vibrant acidity and rich structure of this wine. Long finish. This wine is just a mirror of the Rangen.
The Clos Saint Urbain, Grand Cru Rangen from Thann
The Rangen de Thann is the most southerly of the Alsace vineyards. In his book « Where Alsace wines ripen », Henry Riegert writes: « from the Middle Ages those wines which ripen on the Rangen hillside figure amongst the most famous growths of the whole vineyard region ». The Grand Cru Rangen de Thann, is situated at the exit of the valley, overlooking the village of Thann with the river Thur passing at the foot of the slope.