Alsace Gewurztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles Les Jardins Ostertag (Domaine) 2017

Lot presentation

Alsace Gewurztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles Les Jardins Ostertag (Domaine) 2017

The wine

The ‘Les Jardins’ range was put together by Ostertag to highlight not their terroirs or parcels, but rather to express the character of Alsace’s grape varieties. This cuvée is made from Gewurztraminer vines. The domain has been certified biodynamic since 1997, meaning that the work in the vines is meticulous so that the grapes reach optimal quality. The harvests are carried out by hand followed by a thorough sorting process. The grapes are pressed in whole bunches for a relatively long time. The vinifications are gentle and follow the rhythm of the individual wine. Indigenous yeasts instigate the fermentation process and the wine is vinified in stainless steel vats. This sweet wine expresses a lovely balance and will pair well with goat’s cheese or foie gras.

About the Producer Ostertag

Located in Epfig, in the Lower-Rhine, the Domaine Ostertag ("Easter Day") has raised itself to the top of the hierarchy of Alsace properties in just two generations. Adolphe Ostertag created the Domaine in 1966. His son André took over in 1980, helped by his sister Annie. There are 15 hectares of vines, consisting of a hundred plots spread over five different terroirs. André Ostertag is in the habit of talking of the 80 gardens that he tends.
Trained in Burgundy, André has made quality his priority. Controlled yields, careful management of the vines, meticulous vinification, and ageing partially in barrels (for the Pinot Gris). In 1997, he converted the vineyard to organic farming (with AB certification) and then to biodynamic methods (without certification). Riesling, of which André Ostertag is a big fan, accounts for nearly 50% of the property's vines. The other varieties, in decreasing proportions, are Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Sylvaner, Pinot Noir and Muscat. Different combinations of terroirs, grape varieties and levels of ripeness enable the Domaine to produce about twenty cuvées each year. André Ostertag classifies them in three main families: fruit wines (expressing the variety and grape flavours); stone wines (expressing the terroir); and vins de temps (which involve both meanings of the French word "temps" i.e. "weather" and "time", resulting in late ripening or noble rot).

Detailed characteristics