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2010-09-10Print




Schlossberg Pinot Gris - 2006
Les Vins de Terroir - LES GRANDS CRUS

Sexy nose combines tangy orange and apricot with smoke and truffle. Quite sweet and deep, with enticing flavors of honeyed peach, spices and white truffle. Finishes with good saline chewiness  ... Stephen Tanzer's Intern. Wine Cellar  Nov/Dec 2008


Terroir:

An exceptional vineyard: at 200-300m, the Schlossberg slope lies on the Kaysersberg migmatites and the intruding granite of Thannenkirch, of which the arenaceous character provides very fertile, mineral soil, composed both of coarse sand and clay.
The variety of minerals (potassium, magnesium, fluorine, phosphorus) determines the finesse and aromatic complexity of its wines.
Schlossberg slopes so steeply that vines are grown on terraces.

Vinification:

The juice is extracted with infinite care in our air-bag press. The slow, gentle pressing avoids crushing the stalks and pips.
The must starts fermenting of its own accord thanks to the natural yeast present in the juice, and the fermentation generally lasts from 4 to 10 weeks. It is carried out in stainless-steel vats equipped with temperature control, a medium which maximises the expression of this variety's aromas.

Elevage:

The wine is matured on its lees in large oak barrels for 12 months.
This lees-contact contributes richness to the wine. What is more, the oxygen which passes through the pores of the wood brings about a gentle oxidization of the wine, and the subsequent opening up of its aromas.
The wine is then bottled and aged for 2 to 3 further years before being offered for sale.
This bottle-ageing also plays a role in the wine's development. Here, the opposite of oxidization happens: thanks to certain reactions in the oxygen-free environment, the bouquet develops and takes on subtler nuances.

Wine-tasting:

- 89 - 2006 Domaine Paul Blanck Pinot Gris Schlossberg -  Bright yellow. Sexy nose combines tangy orange and apricot with smoke and truffle. Quite sweet and deep, with enticing flavors of honeyed peach, spices and white truffle. Finishes with good saline chewiness and noteworthy persistence. Plenty of botrytis here, but mostly of the noble persuasion.Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar - Issue 141: November/December 2008 - Alsace 2007 and 2006.

Game:

- pheasant cooked with grapes,
- venison with wild mushroom sauce.
Medium-matured cheese.

Press:

- 89 - 2006 Domaine Paul Blanck Pinot Gris Schlossberg
Bright yellow. Sexy nose combines tangy orange and apricot with smoke and truffle. Quite sweet and deep, with enticing flavors of honeyed peach, spices and white truffle. Finishes with good saline chewiness and noteworthy persistence. Plenty of botrytis here, but mostly of the noble persuasion.
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar - Issue 141: November/December 2008 - Alsace 2007 and 2006.

- 2006
n'a pas produit de pinots gris d'anthologie, mais des vins de facture assez différente qui ont cependant en commun, pur les réussites, la netteté de leur définition. Le Schlossberg et le Wineck-Schlossberg du domaine Paul Blanck ont un beau nez marqué par le botrytis et son riches, cohérents et équilibrés en bouche.
L'Art et le Vin - février 2008