Alsace Grand Cru KIRCHBERG de RIBEAUVILLE 2013 - Pinot Gris

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Citrusy and mineral, dry, racy with tension

Appellation:

Alsace Grand Cru Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé

Locality:

The Kirchberg hill at Ribeauvillé. Classified as Grand Cru by a ruling of 1975, the produce of this land has been recognised as exceptional for very many years. According to Médard Barth, the famous historian of the Alsace vineyards, the wine land was first mentioned in 1328.

Type of soil:

This hill benefits from a South and South West facing positioning which, in conjunction with a very steep slope, confers it an excellent level of sunlight during the fruit's maturing period. The substratum at the foot of the hill is composed of dolomitic marl from the triassic period and dolomite from the lower Muschelkalk. Higher up it is composed of brightly coloured sandstone and gypsum marl from the middle Muschelkalk. At an altitude of 270 to 350 metres, the vineyard's soil is rich in clay and often very stony. Our Pinot Gris Kirchberg are situated on the upper part of the hill.

Wine character:

With this wine we come back to the roots of the Kirchberg. The nose is subtle with fruity and smoky notes. The palate represents the Grand Cru Kirchberg : a wine which tastes dry, with body and salinity combined with the typical acidity from 2013. The balance between the body on the palate and the long and sapid aftertaste is remarkable.

Tips for consuming:

An ideal wine to set with crustaceans, scallops, fishes, and white meats. This Grand Cru Kirchberg is very adaptable and may be drunk throughout an entire meal.
It can be appreciated immediately, but does benefit from ageing in the bottle to develop its bouquet and complexity. Its structure will allow it to wait for some years.

The 2013 vintage : back in the « old » days !

Why this tittle? Simply because this vintage, from a climatic point of view, is a good expression of what we had to cope with about 30 years ago. The cycle of the vines started mid-April. A humid and fresh Spring did not allow a fast development of the vines. The flowering did not happen under the best conditions either due cold nights and lack of sunshine. Thus, the fructification was quite poor. June was considered as the real end of Winter! In July the weather conditions were quite normal. In some locations some vines did even show some hydric stress signs. The harvest started under relative poor weather conditions at a relative unusual date according current years, but normal a couple of decades ago !