Alsace Grand Cru OSTERBERG 2019 - Riesling

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Wide, well balanced with a long finish

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:

As usually for the young Osterberg the nose is open at this moment. Classic citrusy and floral expression. Gourmand and citrusy on the palate. This is a typical Osterberg with a wide palate at the beginning, followed by a structure of mature acidity giving the wine length and persistence. A well balanced wine with tension, but not extreme.

Tips for consuming:

Young wine that will benefit from ageing. A perfect wine for dishes calling for great dry aromatic white wines : seafood and crustaceans, fish (grilled or smoked) and of course young goat cheese.

The 2019 vintage:

This new vintage follows the very generous 2018 vintage which did not always allow the vines to build up reserves. With a dry Autumn 2018 and capricious weather conditions the start of the growth got very heterogeneous. The cold temperature end of April and beginning of May did not improve the situation either and induced very slow growth of the vegetation. Some heavy rains in June, followed by extreme temperatures in July added more stress to the vines.
However, the harvest could start on September 12th and lasted until October 15th. The conditions were not stable at all with hot days and cooler ones. Luckily no heavy precipitations occurred.
Finally, we harvested nice and ripe grapes with great balance.

Press:

92/100 : Le Nouveau Bettane+Desseauve 2021