Score: 90/100
The Grand Cru vineyard Kirchberg de Barr, meaning ‘church hill’ in Alsatian, is a famous appellation in Alsace, one of the 51 Grand Crus of the region.
It produces Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer wines of solid quality.
The steep hillsides of the Cru vineyards are south-east facing and dominate the village of Barr at an average altitude of 260 metres (between 215 and 330m, 705 to 1082ft).
The soils here are deep and have a marl-calcareous and clay-calcareous composition that generally provides the wines with breadth from the marls, as well as freshness and minerality from the limestone.
Willm is a well-respected brand of wines in Alsace, now part of the Wolfberger group.
So How Goos in this Riesling Kirchberg de Barr Grand Cru by Willm?
The Answer is in the Tasting Notes:
Plenty of complexity on the nose, the wine freely speaks to your nose receptors in a variety of languages.
It’s fruity with a wide spectrum of aromas: from the acidic lime, to riper citrus-like mandarin and grapefruit. Pear and nectarine happily join the fun, together with vegetal touches of grass and boxwood.
It’s also floral and reminds of Gewürztraminer by some regards: elderflower and apricot are similarly lively on the nose.
If you’re looking for a Riesling with the whole spectrum of typical flavors for the variety. Well they all seem to be in there!
The palate is well-balanced, acidic but not sharp. Dry, with good body.
Like on the nose, the flavors display the whole spectrum typical of Alsace Riesling, from slightly tropical (nearly Gewürztraminer-like in some regards) to grassy and petrol, through lime and all kinds of citrus.
Overall
A complete Alsace Riesling, mineral, citrusy, spicy, and very well balanced.
Broad and lean, vertical and horizontal, mineral and tropical, it gives a full quite approachable and not austere image of what the region can produce, assembling features that are generally found in various Grand Cru sites, gathered all-in-one here.
Enjoy
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