Technical presentation
| Bottling : | February 2021 |
|---|---|
| Acquired alcohol : | 14° |
| Residual sugar : | 11 g/l |
| Total acidity : | 3.7 g/l H2SO4 (5.7 g/l Tartrique) |
| pH : | 3.4 |
| Yield : | 35 hl/ha |
| Optimum tasting : | 2022-2031 |
| Average age of vines : | 36 years |
| Terroir : | Grand Cru Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain |
| Sweetness index : | 1 |
| Soil : | Sedimentary volcanic rocks (Tuffs & Grauwake) |
Description of the wine Pinot Gris Roche Volcanique 2019
When we acquired the Clos-Saint-Urbain vineyard on the Grand Cru Rangen in 1977, about half of the land wasn’t under vines and needed to be planted. This very steep vineyard requires a lot of hard manual work and some surfaces were left abandoned in the middle of the 20th century. Most vintages, the vines planted in the 70s and 80s are separated from the very old vines that qualify as Grand Cru. This wine clearly show all the originality of a volcanic geology which is unique in Alsace. They are also cultivated the exact same way as the older vines (ploughing with a winch for example). The biggest difference would be on the crop size. The Roche Volcanique is made with low yields, but the older vines produce even less! For these ‘younger vines’ we aim for very healthy grapes (no noble rot) in order to achieve a dry wine. For some unexplainable reason, the wines from this vineyard also tend to ferment fast and would keep little residual sweetness, as is the case here in 2019.
Tasting notes
02/2021 : Pale yellow colour. The nose exhibits the classic smoky/flinty character so typical of the volcanic soil. Medium intensity but with a strong sense of place. As much as the nose is still slightly closed, the palate shows power and intensity with a persistent saline texture. This is a very dry wine with a relatively strict mouthfeel but high drinkability. The combine effect of a great acidity and mineral composition create a long lasting mouth-watering finish. Not a complete Rangen, but really not far from it !
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.