Technical presentation
| Bottling : | January 2020 |
|---|---|
| Acquired alcohol : | 13.2° |
| Residual sugar : | 5.7 g/l |
| Total acidity : | 4.1 g/l H2SO4 / (6.3 g/l Tartrique) |
| pH : | 3.0 |
| Yield : | 45 hl/ha |
| Optimum tasting : | 2023-2043+ |
| Average age of vines : | 68 years |
| Terroir : | Grand Cru Brand |
| Sweetness index : | 1 |
| Soil : | Granite biotite, South facing, Steep slope |
Description of the wine Riesling Grand Cru Brand 2018
The Brand hillside overlooks the old town of Turckheim at its feet. Facing south on moderate to steep slopes, it also benefits from an exceptional precocious and early ripening climate. The cooler wind originating from the deep Munster valley often pushes the rain further out, so the Brand is also very dry. The warm well drained granite increases the drought effect on the surface. Luckily, the biotite granite contains black mica that eventually is broken down to a very interesting high surface clay. It migrates deep in the soil and when the vines are old enough, and cultivated in a way that would allow the roots to grow deep, they eventually reach these richer layers and will be able to resist better in drier and warmer conditions. It explains why people used to say that you would have to wait 30 years at least to produce a real Brand! In 2018, we were particularly impressed on how our vineyards were able to grow very well under hard conditions. The Riesling grape suffered in 2018 in many poorer soils, but not here ! The grapes reached perfect ripeness and quite early, stayed very healthy which allowed the wine to ferment very well.
Tasting notes
04/2020 : Intense bright ripe yellow colour. The nose shows beautiful ripe Riesling: a combination of mineral/rock driven aromas and ripe white fruits. Powerful expression of Brand, but contained and strict. Like most of wine, the long fermentation and lees contact also leaves a slight reduction at this early stage. It clearly will benefit from time and aeration. The palate is impressively long and intense, not to be expected as the nose still refrains its potential. There is a strong sense of minerality, just as if the granite sands had been crushed into the wine. Long finish and very high ageing potential. This is a beautiful Brand !
The Brand Grand Cru of Turckheim
In the Brand, this variety acquires finesse and elegance (floral and fruit aromas) without ever becoming coarse or too heavy. The Brand always surprises by the precocity of its wines, but whilst expressive young they also have a great ability to age. The nature of this terroir makes it easy to obtain an optimal ripeness whilst retaining a fine acidity