Technical presentation
| Bottling : | February 2016 |
|---|---|
| Acquired alcohol : | 12.5° |
| Residual sugar : | 10 g/l |
| Total acidity : | 4.9 g/l H2SO4 (7.5 g/l Tartrique) |
| pH : | 2.9 |
| Yield : | 35 hl/ha |
| Optimum tasting : | 2019-2044+ |
| Average age of vines : | 40 years |
| Terroir : | Clos Windsbuhl |
| Sweetness index : | 1 |
| Soil : | Muschelkalk calcareous, South East facing, South facing |
Description of the wine Riesling Clos Windsbuhl 2014
The Riesling vineyard is located on the top part of the Clos Windsbuhl, where the slope is the steepest and the soil poorer. Natural surface erosion probably explains less soil above the Muschelkalk mother rock. This type of limestone can be seen in some top vineyards over Alsace (Geisberg for example in Ribeauvillé) and is characteristically rich in magnesium, which bring an unmistakable structure and taste (grainy palate, elegance and volume). This was our latest Riesling harvested in 2014 because Clos Windsbuhl is also a very late ripening vineyard, fabulous for obtaining high physiological ripeness. The grapes were healthy and the wine took 15 months to complete fermentation.
Tasting notes
06/2016 : Yellow pale gold colour. The nose shows complex and discreet mineral based aromatics, wet stones, light spicy herbal aromas and toasty character. There is a nice evolution after some time in contact with air, which shows how much this wine begs to age. The palate is all structure and the acidity and very light sweetness, hardly perceivable, are fixing the rules! The very low pH (considering the fact this wine fermented over a year and spent 18 months on total lees!) increases the effect of the acidity on the palate. However, there is nothing painful on the finish, on the opposite, the high saline mouthfeel participate to the pleasure of drinking this wine. The finish is dry/dry-ish and I suspect that the acidity will make the wine drier and drier over ageing.
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.