Technical presentation
| Bottling : | September 2005 |
|---|---|
| Acquired alcohol : | 9° |
| Residual sugar : | 93.0 g/l |
| Total acidity : | 6.5 g/l H2SO4 (9.9 g/l Acide Tartrique) |
| pH : | 3.0 |
| Yield : | 35 hl/ha |
| Average age of vines : | 30 years |
| Grape variety : | Riesling |
| Terroir : | Clos Windsbuhl |
| Sweetness index : | VT |
| Soil : | Muschelkalk calcareous, South/South East facing |
Description of the wine Riesling Clos Windsbuhl 2004 - Vendange Tardive
Riesling is the king of the grapes if planted in the right vineyard with the right weather, and this is exactly what happened in the Clos Windsbuhl in 2004. It is easy to understand why this grape variety performed so well in 2004 (cool summer: high acid; warm and dry September: high ripeness), but I never imagined that these grapes would reach such a high ripeness and high acidity. This is potentially the highest acidity reached in a Riesling on our estate (with this kind of ripeness of course). There was noble rot, in fact 100% of the grapes were affected by noble rot and we were lucky enough to be able to harvest them just before the rain started. The fermentation struggled for months, and the yeasts weren’t able to go above 9% alc, due to the extreme acidity and structure of this wine. Needless to say that it will require long cellaring.
Tasting notes
01/2006 : The nose is pure Riesling minerals, not the fruity waxy botrytis type, but the intense wet stones, mineral style. The calcareous character completely dominates this wine. The palate is intense, rich, shows sweetness, but is kept in a solid frame, where the biting acidity doesn’t allow any extravagance at the moment. I personally feel that this is a magic balance, but some years of proper cellaring will be required to unlock this wine.
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.