Furstentum Gewurztraminer Vieilles Vignes

Type: aromatic dry white
Grapes: Gewurztraminer
14% alc/vol
Temperature : 10-12 °C
To keep: 10 years

Gold Medal International Wine Challenge 2004 

Hugh Johnson - Guide des Vins du monde entier 2007

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:

1st tasting:
Softly fragrant, it has a floral character (fresia, rose), a honeyed touch, over crystallized pineapple, lychee and spice (pepper, ginger). Robust, quite opulent, round and harmonious, with no roughness.
Attractive return of the lychee and ginger.
Quintessential grand cru classicism.
Best 2005/2007.
Tasted in December 2003 by Jean-Louis Sampoux and Stéphane Dechevis - Alsace-Terroir, website specializing in Alsace wine.

2nd tasting:
Very pale to the eye, and very bright.
Has a fragrant, quite complex nose, honeyed with a touch of gunflint.
Round in the mouth, very mellow and soft, still bearing traces of carbonic gas, with good acidity giving an impression of tonus.
Rose scents are revealed on the finish. A wine which is good to drink in the fruit of its youth, yet can be kept just a few more years to coax out the personality of its vineyard. Very good
Visite to Domaine Paul Blanck in Kientzheim – 12th November 2005, during the "24 Heures du Riesling Alsacien". Thierry MEYER - degustateurs.com 

When & with what:

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

Press:

- Hugh Johnson - Guide des Vins du monde entier 2007

- Aromas of smoked meat, cinnamon oil and rose petal. Chewy, spicy and stylish, with an entencing sugar / acid balance. Not especially fat but offers excellent peppery density to buffer its 33 grams of residual sugar. Finishes sweet, chewy and smooth, with lovely spicy persistence.
Stephen Tanzer’s -International Wine Cellar - November / December 2003


- Cité page 71 - Bettane&Desseauve - Classement des meilleurs VINS de France 2004.
Le vin possède beaucoup d’élégance, de finesse et de netteté. Le cépage convient idéalemnet au au terroir.

- Carnets de dégustation, Bettane et Desseauve, mai 2004.
L'assemblage de deux cuvées fait un bien beau "gewurzt", qui n'est pas loin de l'équilibre d'une vendange tardive, à l'arôme de datte et d'épices. Un vin riche, équilibré et qui aura besoin de temps.

Les meilleures bouteilles du millésime 2001 - La Revue du Vin de France - Juin 2002

Références:

- Has been awarded a Gold Medal by the tasting panel at the International Wine Challenge 2004.