Technical presentation
| Bottling : | January 2024 |
|---|---|
| Acquired alcohol : | 13.1 ° |
| Residual sugar : | 4.1 g/l |
| Total acidity : | 3.0 g/l H2SO4 (4.5 g/l Acide Tartrique) |
| pH : | 3.4 |
| Yield : | 36 hl/ha |
| Optimum tasting : | 2024-2037 |
| Average age of vines : | 39 years |
| Terroir : | Grand Cru Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain |
| Sweetness index : | 1 |
| Available for sale : | Yes |
| Soil : | Sedimentary volcanic rocks (Tuffs & Grauwake), Very steep slope |
Description of the wine Pinot Gris Roche Volcanique 2022
The original Pinot-Gris vines were planted in 1963 on the Rangen vineyard. After acquiring the Clos-Saint-Urbain in 1977, the domaine planted subsequently more Pinot-Gris vines between 1978 and 1999. Some vintages, there is an obvious difference in behaviour between the oldest and youngest vines. The dark volcanic sedimentary soil does degrade and produce interesting clay and minerals that are drained deep into the grauwacke mother rock. It takes a long time for the vines to reach these profound layers and in years with less rainfalls, the younger vines can struggle more. 2022 is also a vintage that had a big potential of grapes, more visible on the younger vines, so the difference of yield between old and younger vines was an important factor motivating us to separate the two wines. Obviously, younger vines doesn’t mean ‘young’ vines at 39 years old average!
Tasting notes
01/2024: Bright pale-yellow colour. Expressive fruity and smoky nose (smoked ham, grilled hazelnuts). The palate has a velvety texture, lots of depth and length without too much power. Gentle balance showing a saline acidity on the finish. Very easy wine to enjoy today. Dry, but with a certain softness due to a good dry extract that brings volume on the palate. Obviously Rangen in taste…
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.