GEWURZTRAMINER Vendange Tardive 2006

Presentation

The vintage
From mid-December through to the middle of March temperatures remained close to zero. Wintercame to a dramatic end in March with a dump of 60 cm of snow – something not seen since 1954. Easter wasdamp and cold and Spring finally arrived in the middle of April. Under good conditions in May, the vinespushed forth well. The June weather allowed for a successful flowering which was finished by the 23rd. Julywas extremely hot (36ºC) and dry. Some areas suffered from the dry spell but the rain arrived at thebeginning of August and fell intermittently through the month (133 mm). Thanks to the biodynamiccultivation of Josmeyer’s vines, they survived well despite these climatic variations and the grapes reachedgood maturity in time for the planned harvest on 18th September. Less fortunately heavy rain fell on the 17th(28 mm) followed by another downpour on the 24th (21 mm) and again on 2nd October (65 mm in 2 days)which made it a singularly complicated harvest and meant that a fairly severe selection of the grapes wasrequired to adhere to the high standards set out by the domain.
Terroir
Between Wintzenheim and Turckheim these flat alluvian deposits of the Fecht are rich in clay(22%). The soil is predominantly of sand, shingle, and silt with a high incidence of pebbles and frequentplates of loess. From this vineyard come wines which are soft and sensual.
Vinification
The grapes were hand picked and whole-bunch pressed very slowly and gently in pneumaticpresses over 5-8 hours to give a clean must and a beneficial amount of skin contact. Transferred to thermoregulatedstainless steel tanks the juice then began a natural fermentation using only its own natural yeastwhich lasted for one month. The fermentation was initially temperature controlled but was eventuallyallowed to proceed at its own pace to allow the wine to develop its own character and complexity. The winestabilized in stainless steel tanks naturally during the winter season and, following a very gentle filtering,was bottled in March 2007 before the heat of summer to preserve the natural carbonic gas (a natural antioxidant).Malolactic fermentation is always avoided at Josmeyer and no chaptalization takes place.
Varietal
Gewürztraminer
Specifications
Alcohol content : 13,5 % vol.
Yield : 30 hL/ha
Age of vines : 40 years old
Residual Sugar : 74 g/l
Tartaric acidity : 4,9 g/l

Advice

Tasting
The nose is complex with notes of citrus peel, caramel and apricot. A well balanced palate,smooth and fine. A superb “vendange tardive”.16/20 Bettane & Desseauve 2009
Food pairings
Mousse of exotic fruits, ginger cake, Christmas cookies, orange savarin.

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