Pinot Gris Vendanges Tardives 2018

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Sweet and fine

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:

Beautiful yellow color typical of a wine made from grapes affected by Botrytis. The nose presents notes of honey and exotic fruits. Rich, ample, elegant wine with good balance and pleasant finesse. This avoids any heaviness in the wine.

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 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.

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 .