2021 haverst in Alsace : an exceptional vintage

2021, an exceptional vintage. An extraordinary year from every point of view, and one full of surprises! And an atypical and unpredictable year weather-wise, which left its mark and put the Alsatian winegrowers to the test.

As 2021 arrives, so does winter, and it’s a harsh one, with January and February marked by heavy rainfall (more than 100mm) but more importantly, by heavy snowfalls: on January 15th, more than 30cm of snow blanketed the Schieferberg hillsides. In March, spring is already rearing its head; the vines are weeping and the buds beginning to swell. Life starts again, the weather is sunny and the temperatures are higher than normal for the season, which suggests an early vintage.

But as our elders used to say, ‘keep wrapped up in April’... Temperatures drop sharply, well below normal, making the vines vulnerable to spring frosts. Fortunately, it doesn’t happen this time around, but the vine’s cycle is already behind that of recent years.

Summer is coming, with the hope of better weather... But a leaden sky and continuous rain dampen our optimism. The lack of sunshine and heavy rainfall means that the fight against diseases has to continue through to August. It looks nothing like the usual warm, shimmering summers of our region. Grape ripening is slow to get going, resulting in a later vintage than in previous years. The beginning of September was just like our summer. We were already preparing for the harvest, having to choose between plant health and ripeness.


But what comes next is totally different: a beautiful late season is on the horizon, with generous sunshine and significant temperature variations between day and night. These conditions are conducive to the slow, productive maturation of our Rieslings. The harvest is therefore expected to be exceptional, something of a surprise after the complicated year just gone. The first pruning on the Lieu-dit Fels got underway on October 12th, with perfectly ripe and perfectly healthy grapes. The harvest took place over ten days in favourable weather conditions. The tasting of the first musts confirms us the hope of a great vintage to come. The juices are fine and precise, with good acidity and a marked minerality.

To cut a long story short, this was a surprising and almost unexpected result given the conditions experienced through the seasons. Clearly, the promise of preserving the typical flavours and minerality of our schist wines was about to be fulfilled!

 

Wine-tasting comments

Lieu-dit Berg: the nose reveals freshness, first with toasty and buttery notes, turning fruity. On the palate, the wine has a nice roundness before a pleasantly acid finish.

Lieu-dit Buehl: delicate nose with notes of white flowers and citrus. On the palate, the candid onset is appreciated, followed by great acidity, lending length and persistence on notes of white fruits and citrus.

Lieu-dit Fels: at first sight, the nose is very discreet. However, minty and fruity notes follow, common to schist Terroirs. On the palate, pleasant acidity lends vivacity to the attack. The wine is very well balanced, with aromas of ripe fruits, before mineral notes take over for the finish. The salinity typical of this Terroir lends persistence to this Fels.

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