Alsace Grand Cru OSTERBERG 2011 - Riesling

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Fruity, ample and balanced

Appellation:

Alsace Grand Cru OSTERBERG

Locality:

Osterberg, exclusively areas on the edge of Ribeauvillé. Hillsides facing East South-East at an altitude of 250 to 350 meters, and on average to steep slopes which benefit from excellent levels of sun. Osterberg is a well-known wine-growing area, mentioned in documents from the Middle Ages. The Lords of Ribeaupierre cultivated their vines there.

Type of soil:

The soils are rich in clay and small stones. The substratum is essentially composed of Muschelkalk with a moderate quantity of marl, and in the East of Lettenkohle with dolomitic chalks and multicoloured marls. The presence of dolomitic chalk and thus of dolomie induces some water storage capacity in the soil. This water can be released progressively in case of dry and warm conditions and thus prevent the vines from suffering from lack of water. Furthermore, these vineyards oriented East South-East with high amount of clay are cooler than the Grand Cru Kirchberg. The expression of the wines is “harder” and more “austere” compared with the Kirchberg. Our vines are present in the deep and marly soils of the east as well as in the stony part in the west on the Grand Cru.

Certified organic grapes for an enhanced terroir expression:

Started in 2005, our conversion to organic production took a concrete form three years later in 2008 with the ECOCERT certification. Since 2012, all the cellar operations are also covered by the European specification so that we can now speak about organic wines.

Wine character:

Open nose of a mature wine on mineral flavors. Straightforward palate with a tad of well-balanced sweetness. This is a typical Osterberg with a structure of mature acidity giving the wine length and persistence. In the solar 2011 vintage this structure is present but delicate.

Tips for consuming:

This Grand it is now ready for drinking.May be served with all dishes which require a dry white wine: crustaceans, shellfish, fish (grilled or served in sauce), white meat, and of course young goat cheese.

2011 : the vintage of the extrêmes

Everybody still has in mind the month of December 2010 with very cold temperature and lots of snow. Fortunately, later, the winter conditions got better with above normal temperatures, quite a lot of sun and very low precipitations (26 resp. 14 mm in January and February 2011). This lack of precipitations lasted until June 2011.
The vine cycle started 2 to 3 weeks ahead of a normal year. The warm and dry weather conditions allowed a fast development of the vegetation of the vines, so that the flowering took place 3 weeks in advance. The good conditions during the flowering period allowed a good fructification. Only some Riesling vines in specific locations did not transform all the flowers into fruit.
The humid and fresh summer months slowed down the vine development. Thanks to the rain falls the major part of the precipitation deficit could be recovered.
During this vintage, the vines oscillated between extreme conditions: warm temperatures in Spring, drought later and finally lots of rain during summer time. It was important to have a good management of the soils in the vineyards and specially to manage the growth of the grass cover. During the dry period it was crucial no to have too much grass, whereas later, as the rain came back, grass was welcome to absorb the excess of water.
The harvest period started on Sept. 7 for the Pinot family and the 12th for all the other grape varietals.
The wines of this vintage are fruity and very easy to drink rapidly.