Technical presentation
| Bottling : | February 2021 |
|---|---|
| Acquired alcohol : | 12.8° |
| Residual sugar : | 5.5 g/l |
| Total acidity : | 4.5 g/l H2SO4 (6.8 g/l Acide Tartrique) |
| pH : | 3.0 |
| Yield : | 39 hl/ha |
| Optimum tasting : | 2024-2037 |
| Average age of vines : | 45 years |
| Sweetness index : | 1 |
| Soil : | East & South facing, Limestone/calcareous/siliceous |
Description of the wine Riesling Roche Calcaire 2019
This wine originates mostly from a blend from various small vineyards around the village of Gueberschwihr, as well as the small production of our two young vineyards located in the Grand Cru Hengst. Wines produced on a limestone based geology, regardless of the topography and location tend to share specific characteristics. They are usually less expressive in their youth and will take some time, sometimes years, to show all their aromatic potential. There is always a strong sense of austerity, mostly revealed on the palate that should carry an energic acidity. A limestone soil is by definition later ripening because they take longer to warm up, especially on the village of Gueberschwihr where the marl/clay proportion is higher. They do resist to drought and tend to convey a certain vigour to the vines. The 2018 Roche Calcaire fermented a long time, another typical character of this cuvée, and managed to go dry. Often this wine would carry one of the highest acidity which can impact the fermentation cinetic, so we are very pleased with the final balance achieved in 2019.
Tasting notes
02/2021 : Pale gold colour with light green aspect. At first, the nose is tight and begs for aeration. Typical of limestone, but also magnified by an 18 months full lees contact, the ‘youth’ reduction will require some decanting to allow the wine to express citrus aromatics. With age, the mineral/stony flavours will gradually become stronger. The palate shows impeccable structure, very dry but with a saline coating texture, not really powerful but long. The finish shows a fine grain touch which makes it very salivating and easy to drink. Worth keeping, it will develop gradually in a beautiful racy Riesling.