Technical presentation
| Bottling : | February 2009 |
|---|---|
| Acquired alcohol : | 6.5° |
| Residual sugar : | 350.4 g/l |
| Total acidity : | 4.5 g/l H2SO4 (6.8 g/l Acide Tartrique) |
| pH : | 3.55 |
| Yield : | 8 hl/ha |
| Average age of vines : | 28 years |
| Grape variety : | Pinot Gris |
| Terroir : | Clos Windsbuhl |
| Sweetness index : | SGN |
| Soil : | Muschelkalk calcareous, South/South East facing |
Description of the wine Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl 2005 - Sélection de Grains Nobles Trie Spéciale
This is our third Trie Spéciale produced at the Domaine (Clos Jebsal 1994 and 2002). It reached an amazing 218 Oechslés (about 33% potential alc). Like all its predecessors, this one is no exception to the rule: the fermentation will take years, as the huge acidity and sweetness is giving serious headaches to the poor yeasts trying to survive in this hostile environment. So far, even if the wine has been consistently active since the harvest, I suspect that there is only a few % alcohol at this stage and that it will barely reach 6-7% at the end. The Clos Windsbuhl is not a vineyard that produces regularly VT/SGNs as it is more dependant on the climatic conditions of the few days before the harvest than vineyards like Rotenberg/Heimbourg or Clos Jebsal. In 2005, all the conditions were united for a perfect and maximum development of noble rot.
Tasting notes
01/2007 : WIP : it is still hard to describe this wine as it feels like it was harvested yesterday! The nose is just an intense fruit cocktail, dominated by apples and a bracing acidity. I know that it isn’t possible to ‘smell’ acidity, but all the markers are here to make one’s brain think of it. The palate is still too dominated by the slow fermentation characters to distinguish any vineyard or other complex aromas. The richness is amazing, and I can’t wait to be able to see the ‘real’ wine coming out.
02/2009 : Finally. The wine is bottled! This long elevage in small cask added complexity and allowed the wine to integrate all its extreme components. The nose reveals today wonderful honey flavours, white fruits (pears, apples) and apricots. There is a strong sense of minerality on the palate and the wine is perfectly capable to absorb the huge sweetness, thanks to a great acidity. Now, the hardest part is to wait, wait, wait…
The Clos Windsbuhl of Hunawihr
The altitude of the vineyard coupled with Hunawihr’s tardy climate means that the Clos Windsbuhl is often one of the last of our vineyards to be harvested. This explains the aromatic quality of the Clos’ wines and the consistent balance of acidity, a guarantee of good ageing. Although often harvested late, the Windsbuhl grapes are only rarely botryitized, doubtless due to the altitude of the vineyard, but nevertheless often reach high levels of maturity.