Country: France
Region: Wolxheim, Alsace
Appellation: Appellation Alsace Grand Cru Protégée
Grape variety: 100% Gewurztraminer
Style: White
ABV: 15.5% by vol.
Yield: 35ha/hl
Terroir: Oolitic limestone & Keuper marl
Average age of vines: 35+ years
Farming: Dry-farmed, Fukuoka method. Certified organic.
Harvest: By hand
Vinification: Direct press of select whole clusters using gentle pneumatic press. Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts. No fining. No filtration.
Aging: Two years in stainless steel.
Sulfur added: 10mg in winter after initial fermentation, 10mg prior to bottling
Notes: The Altenberg reaches up towards the highest point of the domaine and lies in full southern exposure. Its terroir includes the Keuper, which consists of dolomite, shales or claystones and evaporites that were deposited during the Middle and Late Triassic epochs (about 220 million years ago). Unlike the Muschelkalk layer above which it sits, the Keuper is poor in fossils, containing primarily plant material dominated by cypresslike conifers.
Big, powerful, and concentrated. Spice, salinity and decadence. Gently decant or let it open on its own.