Riesling Roche Volcanique
2016
Olivier Humbrecht is one of the world's most renowned winegrowers. He is a Master of Wine and has been described by Robert Parker as the greatest white winemaker on earth. Yet he is very soft spoken, humble, and self-deprecating, which makes him perfectly suited to his assumed role as a global ambassador of wine. He is a champion of terroir, biodynamic farming principles, and non-interventionist winemaking, whose family have been winegrowers in Alsace for 12 generations (since 1620). He is...
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Bottling date: 2/2018; Alcohol: 12.° alc; Residual sweetness: 6.4 g/l; Total Acidity 3.7 g/l H2SO4, pH: 3.35; Yields: 35 hl/ha; Optimum drinking period: 2018-2026; Average age of the vines: 33 years; Terroir: Sedimentary volcanic rocks, facing south, very steep slope. Indice 1. This wine originates from the younger vines of Riesling planted in the 1980s on the Grand Cru Rangen. 2016 enjoyed an extremely dry summer, putting a little more stress on these 30ish year old vines, so we felt that we shouldn’t have blended them with the older vines. The volcanic soil here is very poor so yields are naturally low, even for young vines, so the character of the volcanic rock is well present in this wine. Driving south in Alsace, it is easy to forget that we actually go higher in altitude, which makes the Rangen a late ripening vineyard and explains why these grapes were harvested over a month after the Brand in Turckheim! The fermentation took a half year to complete, but the wine spent its 18 months in cask on the full lees before bottling.
Sourced from the younger vines, planted between 1978 and 1986, of one of Alsace's most famous vineyards, the extremely steep Rangen de Thann (pictured in the banner above). We love that Olivier Humbrecht considers 30 + year old vines to be young vines! Prior to this vintage this fruit went into the Rangen de Thann Riesling ($110+ retail value). This is a spectacular bargain given the site the wine hails from!
Tangy notes of green lemon are already shining though the reductive nose of flint. On the palate, flavors of tangerine, lemon, orange and lime take turns to push the pleasure buttons with juicy freshness. The dry finish is precise, long and lip-smacking and the citrus aromatics have a smoky ring to them.
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Gentle, aromatic notes of ripe apricot appear first, followed by a little smoke. The palate comes in like a clarion call of lemony, brisk, citric freshness. This wine is streamlined and crystal clear, with a defined outline and a stony, concentrated core. With all its power it is muscular but suave and ultraclean.
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Riesling Roche Volcanique is grown on compacted volcanic ash in the Grand Cru Rangen in Alsace. This vineyard was acquired in 1977 by Olivier Humbrecht’s father Leonard and mostly planted to a high-density, massal selection of vines. Lucky for us some of the vineyard needed replanting and the younger vines are declassified into Volcanique. The colour and nose are bright; the wine a flinty, mineral, stony, salty, white fruit affair. Fresh and beguiling this is a special wine at special price for the moment. Stock up if you can. Humbrecht says it will keep through 2029 but I’m not sure I can wait that long.
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Fine and creamy, with lovely aromatic floral, ripe fruit and mineral overtones, and flavors of star fruit, glazed apricot, fleur de sel and pink grapefruit zest defined by well-knit, racy acidity. Very elegant.
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Une autre leçon de terroir, mais aussi d’humilité, où l’homme s’incline pour mieux faire place au discours hautement minéral. Un bio très sec (2 g) un rien austère, à la fois dense et fumé, relevé d’une intrigante note de purée de poire sur la longue finale. Une leçon de vin !
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Pale gold. More smoky and oily than the Roche Calcaire, the fruit smells richer and more peachy – you’d think there was some Pinot Gris in here. Still has that silky viscous texture but is lighter on the palate than I’d expected from the aroma. The finish is a complex mix of spiced citrus with a hint of rose petals.
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