Pinot Gris Vendanges Tardives 2015

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Sweet, complex and well balanced

Appellation:

Alsace, carrying the label "Vendanges Tardives" ("late harvest").

Locality:

A selection of the best plots of land on the hillsides around Ribeauvillé: Unterturnert, Kesselacker, Castel.

Type of soil:

The Louis SIPP parcels of land are situated in the geological fracture zone of Ribeauvillé. They constitute a territory which is highly geologically fragmented. They are above all areas with hard chalk, clay and marl from the Liassic and Triassic periods, sandstone clay, and calcareous, chalky conglomerates from the Oligocene period. The area is also characterised by silt-laden deposits, originally loessial, and by glacis and sandy alluvium in the valley and on the plain.  The TOKAY PINOT GRIS which produce this vintage are found in stony soil rich in marl, with patches of chalk. The vines are situated on the hillsides above the Carola mineral water springs.

Wine character:

It has a beautiful golden yellow colour, signifying high concentration. It bears smoky aromas, with hints of honey and ripe fruits. This wine is mellow, full and long on the palate, with a nice complexity and the typical and delicate freshness of the wine from the terroirs of Ribeauvillé.

Tips for consuming:

Its mellow character make this wine ideal for consuming with foie gras or certain smoked fish which are found in Northern or Asian cuisines. It can also be set with non-chocolate desserts. In our opinion it merits savouring without accompaniment, just for its own sake.  
It is to be consumed immediately, but its complexity will be strengthened if allowed to age, a process which its structure will permit without any difficulty.

The 2015 vintage:

This vintage follows a mild winter, with almost no frost days. The vines started their development mi-April, a normal date. Spring can be qualified as normal in term of rainfalls but also temperatures. The flowering took place mid-June under good conditions. Beginning of July was exceptionally warm. Some grapes suffered from the sun rays. These warm conditions accelerated the development of the vines. Mid-August some precipitations were welcome and helped the vines to finish their maturation cycle. We started harvesting mature and sound fruit on September 8th.

Vinification:

Manuel harvests of grapes presenting Noble Rot (Botrytis Cinerea), classical vinification.

Special note:

In order to be awarded the label "Vendanges Tardives", which was defined by the ministerial ruling of 01.03.1984, an Alsace wine must fulfil the following conditions:  
-    it must be the product of a single vine species, and must be sold with mention of the species on the label  - it must be sold with a mention of the vintage 
-    it must originate in a plot of growing land which has already been declared to the INAO 
-    it must be made from harvested grapes of one of the authorised species which are recognised to produce at least the minimum level of natural richness, as defined by the ruling (these species are the Gewurztraminer, Tokay Pinot Gris,
Riesling and Muscat)  
-    it must not have undergone chaptalization .