Score: 92/100
This Riesling wine comes from a vineyard on Josmeyer’s estate from the Hengst Grand Cru area of the Alsace region, France.
This is how the producing winery describes the vineyard site:
“The soil of the 360 meter high slope which dominates this vineyard is essentially a mixture of limestone from the Vosges, chalky marl (14% active) and layers of red, brown, green and beige sediment hundreds of meters thick. The mother rock is of an orange – yellow hue. Dating as far back as the Jurassic period the elements vary in density from very fine to very course. The Ph factor is within 7.8 to 8.3. This Grand Cru is 130.95 acres (53,02 Ha) of vines. The combined calcareous and marl soils tend to produce rich full bodied wines. In their youth they have an untamed character, reminiscent of the vineyard’s name – “stallion”. They slowly mature to astonishing aromatics and fabulous richness.”
Vines there are 40 years old. Old vines then you can comfortably call them.
Grapes were hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed slowly in pneumatic presses over 5-8 hours. Fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Malolactic fermentation is always avoided at Josmeyer and no chaptalization takes place.
Tasting Notes:
This 2001 vintage wine (15 years old at the time of tasting) was tasted out of a Magnum bottle (1.5L) poured by the producer and coming directly from her cellar. You’d expect a standard bottle size of the same wine and the same year to have aged and evolved more than the one I tasted.
This wine has an intense but elegant nose. It’s spicy and nutty as well as fresh and complex.
Tangy deep palate with solid weight.
Plenty of aromatic complexity. Citrus peel flavors shine with lifting white pepper tones.
Complex, long, and lingering aftertaste.
Surprisingly fresh for a 15-year-old wine. It has probably reached a peak now.
Perfect for enjoying in 2016 (this is probably why the winery owners chose to present it now!).
Enjoy 🙂
Please let me know your thoughts