2019 Les Vignes du Precheur Domaine Weinbach

Les Vignes du Prêcheur (loosely translated the priest's vineyard) is a vineyard located just below the Grand Cru Kaefferkopf vineyard and has a sandy and clay terroir. It is a so-called "compklantation", meaning that several grape varieties grow on the same vineyard, which was very common also in Alsace in the old days and it is thus a tradition that Domaine Weinbach also pays tribute to. The 5 grapes in this wine are Riesling 40%, Auxerrois 30%, Pinot Gris 20%, Mucat 5% and Sylvaner 5%. The grapes are hand-harvested and the whole clusters are fermented with wild yeast in large, old "foudres", large 1200 litre oak barrels. It gives a very charming wine with a floral bouquet with hints of peach and apricot, a crisp and elegant wine with a good body that finishes with a touch of salt. All the grapes are hand-harvested, there is a 3-week period where the must and grape skins ferment together with wild yeast, then the wine is aged for 8 months in steel tanks without the addition of sulphites. This makes for an exciting wine with a bouquet hinting at grapefruit and rose petals, an elegant, medium-bodied wine with a fine structure of acidity and soft tannins. Finishes well with a touch of minerality.