STEINACKER 2018

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Gravels at the foot of the subvosgian hills - charming, ample and fruity.

Appellation:

Alsace

Locality:

Grapes coming exclusively from local soils of the Steinacker.

Type of soil:

The Steinacker parcels of land are situated in the geological fracture zone of Ribeauvillé. This area is located at the bottom of the terraces from the Rhine valley. It lays over stony alluvial deposits (located between 50 and 90 centimetre bellow the surface) coming from the river crossing the Ribeauvillé area. The soils are brown, acid and not very rich. Gravels and sandy silts can be found together with silica pebbles (up to 50% at the surface). In some places an clayey interlayer is also present.

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:

The Steinacker single vineyard uses to give very ripe grapes with hints of botrytis. The nose is open and fruity with anise flavours combined with ripe fruit aromas. The mouth is powerful, wide and fruity with a delicate freshness yielding to a good length for the wine.

Tips for consuming:

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 sauerkraut.
Wine to be appreciated immediately. A longer ageing period will lead to the formation of the typical mineral flavours of the Riesling.

The 2018 vintage: exceptional vintage rich in contrasts:

Contrasty: The weather conditions of the vintage were diverse and even extreme. Between January and July, Ribeauvillé got close to 500 mm rainfall, the equivalent quantity of a whole year. The vines started to grow relatively late, but the flowering took place rapidly. The summer was warm and dry. The few rainfalls came at the right moments with the perfect quantities.
The harvests started early under good conditions and allowed us to pick grapes with very nice maturity levels and in perfect shape. It was therefore possible to wait for the formation of Noble Rot and to elaborate nice Late Harvests (Vendanges Tardives) and Noble Rot Selections (Sélections de Grains Nobles).
An exceptional vintage where we went through worries during the drought to deep satisfaction during the harvests.
The 2018 wines are powerful and pleasant.