''F'' Pinot Noir (rouge)

Type: red
Grapes: Pinot Noir.
13.5 % alc/vol
Vignes taillées en Guyot de fin novembre à fin février.
Temperature : 12 - 14 °C
To keep : 10 years

Soil:

It comes from the Furstentum Grand Cru, which lies at 400m altitude, facing due south.
Furstentum 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.
The marly, calcareous sandstone soils are south-facing, with slopes of 25-38%. Heat from the sun is intense.

Vinification:

The musts start fermenting of their own accord thanks to the natural yeast on the grape skins. The vatting period lasts 10 to 15 days, and is carried out in stainless-steel vats with temperature control, for a maximum expression of the variety's aromatic character.
The wine is then run off into barrel, where it finishes fermenting. Contact between the solids and the must is limited to avoid excessive tannin extraction.
The Pinot Noir has a natural acidity which contributes greatly to the wine's extract.

Elevage:

Traditional ageing in oak barrels for 10 to 12 months.
One third new barrels, two thirds 2- to 3-year-old.

Tasting note:

Appearance: A lovely clear redcurrant, cherry-red colour, brilliantly tinted.
Nose: Elegant and floral. Attractive scents of small red and black fruit (redcurrant, bilberry), macerated morello cherry with a touch of the burnt, smoked (toast) then infusion.
Palate: Most attractive wine of some breeding, still rather tongue-tied in the mouth yet has finesse, and spiciness. A fine, fresh mouthful, fruity and cleancut with subtle tannin on the finish (cinchona, kumquat) and touches of spice (nutmeg).
The tannin is discreetly present in the exquisite, fleshy smoothness of the wine's beautiful wrapping.
A pleasure to drink then, fine to taste, yet without any need for haste: it will still benefit from several years' keeping.
Splendid retro-olfaction aromas: red fruit, dried meat and classy violet and jasmine touches.
Frédéric Voné, sommelier A la Cour d'Alsace, Obernai – 29th January 2005.

When & with what:

Poultry: Bresse chicken, pigeon, guinea-fowl, turkey.
Small game: duck, thrush and flambé-d gosling.

Review:

Has good all-round balance, and is a true-to-type example from this vineyard. It is a good compromise between the traditional and modern styles of Alsace Pinot Noir.
Carnets de dégustation, Bettane et Desseauve, May 2004. 

Comments :

This wine was the brainchild of two brothers, Bernard and Marcel BLANCK, 35 years ago.
They had completed their training in Burgundy and Bordeaux, and started suspecting the possibilities offered by their parcel of vines in the Grand-Cru-to-be Furstentum.
They had an inkling of just what a rich wine the great Pinot Noir grape might make,
and availed themselves of the opportunity of perfecting their expertise in red-wine vinification.
The first stage of their mastery of the different colours lasted some ten years.
Since 1985 Frédéric and Philippe BLANCK, the following generation, have been carrying on their work.
The first quality they aim for is complexity, which they obtain by reducing yields
and thereby concentrating the raw material: 25-30 hectolitres per hectare is the target yield.
Extracting the fine tannin of the grape skins to give the wines structure is the next essential.
After a decade's work the results are encouraging, yet there are still long years of work ahead for them to really master their art. This is one of the challenges they face.
This Pinot Noir gives a glimpse of the enormous potential of the Furstentum Grand Cru
it comes from. It also helps raise the profile of Alsace's red wines,
frequently overlooked in this region traditionally reputed for its whites.
"Il s'agit d'aimer à travers la femme, non pas la femme." St-Exupéry. A short sentence
which resumes it all: our work will never be accomplished. This permanent quest for
excellence drives us to the limits of our capabilities.