Furstentum Gewurztraminer Vieilles Vignes

"With an ideal combination of grape variety and vintage, Furstentum is offered here vividly and  generous nose of stone fruit and peel, dense and rich on the palate with a pronounced acidity, strong minerality and a long finish of  citrus and spices.

Soil:

Furstentum lies at 400m altitude, facing due south.
It is one of the last remaining vestiges of the sub-Mediterranean era which Alsace experienced.
The soil is very stony and drains well because the calcareous bedrock breaks through.

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.

Tasting notes:

93 - Damask rose and honeysuckle on the nose almost have a cotton-candy tang to them. The palate is medium sweet and adds peach compote to the floral and a dollop of plump luscious sweetness. There is huge concentration and big aromatic intensity on the midpalate with a lovely bitter edge that lasts long. There is a medium-sweet finish.

- Winemag - buying guide - 4/1/2017

Pale, bright yellow. Subtly perfumed nose offers flowers, lichee, cinnamon, mace and a whiff of smoked meat. Silky on entry, then fat with spicy fruit. With its moderate sweetness and impression of low acidity, this is quite glyceral today. A bit warm on the persistent finish. Not especially complex but this will offer the advantage of early drinkability.

-- Stephen Tanzer - Score 91 - Nov.2010

Scale  perception  of sweetness and acidity :

This scale is subjective, it depends on your perception of sugar and acidity. Each one sweetens its coffee differently, each one will have another perception of sweetness  and  acidity.The sugar perception is very  personnal.Our engagement by this scale is the result of the perception of  sucrosity by a tasting. These indications are given for one period  from three years. After this time, the perception of the sucrosity can evolve/move.
Position 8/10 : pinots gris, gewurztraminers rich from the  grands crus Furstentum et Mambourg.

When & with what:

Desserts in which spices play a leading role.
Apricot cake with almonds.

Press: