Alsace Wines 2005 : Wines full of character, a vintage to keep

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1 Alsace Wines 2005 : Wines full of character, a vintage to keep The harvest in Alsace ended in December with the last "Vendanges Tardives" and we are now able to make our first appraisal of the 2005 vintage. First of all, let us follow the course of the year. The winter was actually quite normal, with hard frosts in December and January, and a lot of snow in the mountains. However, Alsace continued to suffer from a lack of rainfall, with only 150mm between November and March. April was mild and rainy, which favoured budburst. Flowering started at the end of May, coinciding with a period of very high temperatures, approaching 30 C at times, then very warm weather from mid-june to late July encouraged the vines to develop admirably. Numerous professionals removed excess bunches, a «green harvest», in order to keep the yield under control. Although the weather during the first half of August was pleasant, the second half was more contrasted, with unseasonably low temperatures. On the other hand, this preserved very satisfactory levels of acidity. Fine, sunny weather returned at the end of August, allowing the grapes to ripen to perfect maturity, while remaining in very sound condition. Considering the varying degree of ripeness of each grape, the Regional Committee of Experts in Alsace Wines decreed the starting dates for the 2005 harvest : 7 th of September for AOC Crémant d'alsace and 22 nd of September for AOC Alsace and AOC Alsace Grand Cru. In order to optimise overall quality and to respond to current difficult trading conditions, Alsace wine professionals decided to limit production by not applying for PLC (possibility to exceed maximum permitted yields under specific conditions) for AOC Alsace and Alsace Grand Cru, and by reducing permitted enrichment (chaptalisation) of the must to a maximum of From a quality point of view, the excellent ripeness of the grapes should be noted, as well as the promising levels of acidity, principally consisting of tartaric acid. Heavy rain in early October caused some concern about the state of the harvest and hastened the picking of the more fragile bunches. Although this year s Crémants are likely to be fresh and very fruity, for Riesling the results are more contrasted depending on their origin, with some irregular patches of arrested maturity on the lighter soils, and very rapid evolution of sanitary conditions (peduncular rot). Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Muscat are all very well balanced and fruitdriven, while Gewurztraminer is likely to be very aromatic. The choice of the harvest date and the care taken during vinification will both be of paramount importance this year. A very fine Indian Summer from 6 to 20 October (low rainfall, misty mornings and sunny afternoons) encouraged the growth of noble rot (botrytis), hopefully providing ideal conditions for the production of magnificent late-harvest Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles wines. From a quantity point of view, the total production reaches hl (down 8,6% compared to 2004), made up of hl of AOC Crémant d Alsace and hl of still wine ( AOC Alsace and AOC Alsace Grand Cru ). Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d Alsace Colmar - January 2006

2 Alsace Wines 2006 : A vintage of contrasts 2006 will go down in history as a vintage which produced good quality wines thanks to masterly wine making skills and in spite of a difficult year. Despite late budbreak (25 April), fine sunny weather in June allowed flowering to take place at the usual time (around 19 June), while a hot July even resulted in a slight advance. Thanks to a cool August with favourable rainfall, and to the weather in the first fortnight of September, excellent ripeness levels could be forecast for the 2006 vintage. The starting dates for the harvest were 11 September for all AOC Crémant d Alsace except Riesling (18 September), and 25 September for all still wines except Riesling and Gewurztraminer (27 September). Picking of the late-harvest Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles wines began on 11 October. Rain with intermittent storms started on 24 September and lasted into early October. This caused damage in those vineyards which had not been picked before it began. The potential quality of the vintage was preserved thanks to the vigilance of oenologists and winemakers, who reacted with great skill and efficiency not only when sorting the harvest, but also with the clarification of the must. As a result, the Crémants d Alsace, produced mainly from the Pinot varieties and picked as usual at the start of the harvest before the rain began, promise to be elegant, well-structured wines. Overall, the dry white wines are very fresh with good aromatic intensity; smooth and easy to enjoy, they will be suitable for early drinking. The Pinot Noir wines are fruity and light in colour. Due to the challenging climatic conditions, only a few late harvest wines were made, but these are particularly successful, notably those made from Gewurztraminer, which ripens later and which therefore benefited from the fine October weather. Quantity-wise, production totalled hl, 8% less than the five-year average ( hl of AOC Alsace and AOC Alsace Grand Cru plus hl for Crémant d Alsace). Sales of Alsace wines increased by 2.3% in 2006, compared to 2005 (+ 1% in value for the home market and + 6% for exports), figures which confirm the current trend of recovery, on the export markets in particular. Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d'alsace Colmar March 2007

3 Alsace wines 2007 : A long-awaited and unanimously acclaimed vintage! Alsace wine professionals are happy : 2007 is one of the finest vintages ever! 2007 can be added to the list of unusual years. After a very mild winter, and an almost summery spring (with exceptionally warm temperatures that led to very early bud-burst and flowering around 25 May!), June, July and August were marked by numerous showery spells and some periods of quite cold weather. Consequently, this unsettled weather cancelled out most of the advance gained in the spring. Thankfully, such climatic conditions led to slow and perfect maturation of all grape varieties, enabling their freshness and fruit character to be preserved. The starting dates for the harvest were decreed as follows : 22 August for AOC Crémant d Alsace, except Riesling and Chardonnay (27 August), and 5 September for the still wines, except Riesling and Gewurztraminer (10 September). Concerning Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles, the starting date was 19 September. For AOC Crémant d Alsace, the harvest began under ideal conditions. First to be harvested were grapes from the earliest-ripening slopes. Then Alsace took full advantage of a magnificent month of September with extraordinary anticyclonic weather! Hot days and cool nights with practically no precipitation ensured optimal ripening conditions. Alsace professionals hurried slowly to harvest perfectly healthy bunches of each grape variety at optimum maturity was an absolutely textbook vintage from every point of view, and not only as far as quality and quantity are concerned. Pinot Noir has soft fruit notes and plenty of colour, with a palette of aromas ranging from redcurrant to black cherry. Pinot Gris is especially successful, powerful and honied, yet nicely balaced by ripe acidity. Riesling will of course need time to mature but is already very fruit-driven (citrus) with incredible elegance and freshness. Sylvaner and Pinot Blanc are both full of character. Gewurztraminer is particularly successful in this vintage. The wines are rich, intense and extremely aromatic. In fact, in 2007, all grape varieties have given excellent results! To crown it all, superb weather conditions at the end of the harvest enabled numerous Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles wines to be produced, and the record quality levels of 1997 have even been exceeded! As far as quantity is concerned, total production reached hl, % compared to 2006 ( hl of AOC Alsace and Alsace Grand Cru, plus hl of AOC Crémant d Alsace). From a commercial point of view, sales of Alsace wines in 2007 progressed slightly (+0.8% compared to 2006) this rise being due to record export sales (+2.1 % overseas against % in France) and to rising sales of AOC Crémant d Alsace (+8.4 % overall). The level of sales is therefore once more in perfect harmony with the level of production. Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d Alsace Colmar May 2008

4 2008 Alsace Wines : An nice result It may be difficult to sum up the 2008 vintage in a nutshell, but all professionals are extremely satisfied with the quality of the wines produced. Fresh and very fruit-driven, thanks to evenhealthier-than-average grapes, everything comes together to qualify 2008 as a great vintage! However, early in the season there was little cause for optimism, and it is true to say that climate conditions, and therefore the evolution of ripening, were particularly unusual. In fact, the vegetation cycle in 2008 could be compared to the classic vintages of the pre-2000 period. Cold, unsettled weather from winter through to April provoked a major discrepancy between early- and late-ripening sectors, leading to budburst at the end of April, about 10 days later than usual. Particularly warm weather in May encouraged vegetation growth and reduced some of the delay. Flowering started around 15 June, but took about 2 weeks to complete due to damp and cool weather conditions all that month, which served to further exacerbate the differences between early- and late-ripening sectors and created some major zones of mildew. Summer was marked by warmth and intermittent showers, with a scattering of thunderstorms, very localised but sometimes violent. Luckily, temperatures never reached heat-wave levels, and so the weather conditions were ideal to preserve both aroma and acidity. The Comité Régional d Experts des Vins d Alsace (CRINAO) fixed the following starting dates for the 2008 harvest : For AOC Crémant d Alsace, Monday 15 September. For AOC Alsace and for AOC Alsace Grand Cru, Thursday 25 September. For Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles, Thursday 9 October. Taking into account certain variations in both maturity and sanitary state (it was important to control the vigour of the vine in 2008), the grapes from the earliest-ripening sectors were harvested as quickly as possible. The first fortnight of September was quite damp, with particularly heavy precipitation on 13 September. Luckily the next day saw the start of a period of cool, sunny and windy weather that dried out the bunches and thus prevented any major spread of rot. Harvesting took place over an unusually long period of time, to take full advantage of optimal climatic conditions (dry and sunny weather). Crémant d Alsace is one of the greatest successes of this vintage, combining superb finesse with exceptional class. Gewurztraminer is equally superb in Small yields and a significantly high degree of freshness for this varietal allowed the production of wines with remarkable purity and aromatic character. Sylvaner and Pinot Blanc are both crisp and clean. Muscat wines are very grapey, but the high levels of coulure in Muscat Ottonel vineyards led to a very severe drop in production. Riesling took a very long time to ripen, but we must pay tribute to the exceptional quality of the wines produced in the Grand Cru vineyards. Pinot Noir took full advantage of the late season sunshine and the wines are deep in colour and fruity. The sanitary state of Pinot Gris varied from region to region, but contrary to 2007 the wines do not have any over-ripe character but are very fruit-driven, smoky and perfectly balanced. Exceptional climatic conditions in October enabled numerous late-harvest wines of Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles to be produced. Everything indicates that the 2008 Alsace vintage will have great ageing potential! As far as volumes are concerned, at hl overall production is down 1.8% compared to 2007 ( hl of AOC Alsace and AOC Alsace Grand Cru plus hl of AOC Crémant d Alsace). The commercial year 2008 ended with a total volume up slightly (+0.7%) compared to 2007, with sales reaching hl (+1.4% in France and 1.5% for exports) including hl of Crémant d Alsace (which showed an increase of 4.8% in France and 14.3% for exports!). Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d Alsace Colmar April 2009

5 Vintage 2009 in Alsace : Irresistible wines! Three in a row! After 2007 and 2008, two superb vintages, the series continues with 2009, a precocious vintage with perfectly healthy, fully ripe grapes and ideal fruit character. The climatic highlights of the year can be summarised as follows. Although budburst on the vines was late, due to severe cold weather during the winter, flowering took place earlier than usual, in early June, thanks to a rapid rise in temperatures during April and May, and went generally well, as did berry set. This advance of two weeks compared to the normal season continued despite a rather damp July. Hot and very sunny August weather ensured ideal conditions to ripen the grapes perfectly. The CRINAO (Comité Régional d Experts des Vins d Alsace) authorities decreed the following starting dates for the 2009 vintage : For AOC Crémant d Alsace : Monday 31 August. For AOC Alsace and for AOC Alsace Grand Cru : Monday 14 September (for all classified vineyards except the Kaefferkopf, Bruderthal, Altenberg de Bergheim and Kanzlerberg, where picking was delayed where necessary by up to 1 or 2 weeks). For late-harvest Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles : Monday 28 September. September days were very warm but the nights were much cooler, especially towards the end of the month, enabling full ripeness to be achieved while preserving essential aromas. The absence of any significant rainfall caused a slowdown in maturity in certain vineyards with lighter soils, and even isolated cases of hydraulic stress. The excellent healthiness of all grape varieties was particularly noteworthy, and most growers admit they have rarely seen that before! Consequently, although harvesting was completed relatively quickly, it was done à la carte, and with patience it was possible to pick each parcel at perfect maturity. Generally speaking, the wines are rich in alcohol, thanks to good fermentation levels, but are perfectly balanced by a fine ripe acidity Alsace wines will be ready to enjoy quite soon. Crémants d Alsace were particularly successful again. Muscats are crisp and fruit-driven because there was no problem of coulure in Sylvaners have very ripe white fruit notes. All Pinot varieties show great potential : Pinot Blanc (fresh and aromatic), Pinot Gris and especially Pinot Noir, with ripe tannins, silky structure and deep colour Gewurztraminers are aptly named ( gewurz means spice) because at harvest time the skins were very thick and so the wines are notably aromatic and fruity. Rieslings are very fruit-driven, with citrus and floral aromas, while those from hillside vineyards with deep soil have a particularly interesting freshness. Exceptional climatic conditions in October, allied to the perfect sanitary condition of the grapes, enabled numerous late-harvest wines, Vendanges Tardives and even Sélections de Grains Nobles, to be harvested. In 2009 these sweet wines are naturally very marked by dessication. Quantity-wise, total volume was hl, up 3.1% compared to 2008 ( hl for AOC Alsace and Alsace Grand Cru and hl for AOC Crémant d Alsace). From a commercial point of view, under rather difficult market conditions for most French appellations, Alsace wines are riding out the crisis better than others, thanks to a lesser dependence on the hardest hit markets of the USA and UK, but also thanks to stability both in France and in the principal traditional export markets. Sales in 2009 reached hl, slightly down by 1.2% compared to The French market was stable (+0.8%) while exports fell by 7.1%. Sales of AOC Crémant d Alsace continued to rise, reaching hl, an increase of 7.1%. Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d Alsace Colmar March 2010

6 ALSACE WINES 2010 SMALL YIELDS, TERRIFIC FRESHNESS Freshness, fruit and limited yields are the hallmarks of the 2010 vintage in Alsace. In Alsace, each vintage brings its own challenges and opportunities. Variations in weather and the impact of these climatic phenomena on the way our vines are managed give each vintage a unique character. For those hard at work in our vineyards, 2010 was a complex year one might even say it was a difficult one. Truth be told, it s rare for a vintage to be so marked by climatic variations. Winter was hard and long. Temperatures plummeted to extremes (on the 19 th of December 2009, the region around Colmar registered 20ºC). Younger vines, in particular, were badly affected (buds were frozen) Gewurztraminer especially so. Budbreak was late, taking place towards mid April, and at the start of May the weather was chilly and damp. Luckily, warmer temperatures at the end of May permitted the vines to catch up on themselves. Flowering, which began around the 20 th of June, was prolonged due to the frosts and the uneven budbreak. The prolongation of the relatively cool temperatures affected fruit set, resulting in coulure and millerandage (particularly in the case of the Muscat Ottonel and Gewurztraminer vines). Subsequently, the very warm temperatures experienced in early July allowed the vines to speed up the ripening process, and curbed the risk of disease in the vineyards. As harvest approached, various measurements of ripeness confirmed a high concentration of sugars in the grapes, as well as raised levels of acidity. However, due to the erratic weather, ripeness was uneven, both in terms of individual varieties and in terms of vineyard parcels across the region. It was necessary to keep vine vigour under tight control in order to prevent rot from setting in. The Comité Régional d Experts des Vins d Alsace (CRINAO) set the following dates for the 2010 harvest: Monday 13 September for AOC Crémant d Alsace With a few notable exceptions (Kaefferkopf and Pfingstberg a week late; Altenberg de Bergheim and Kanzlerberg two weeks delay), harvest in AOC Alsace and AOC Alsace Grand Cru vineyards began on Monday 27 September. Tuesday 12 October was the date set for the start of the harvest of Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles. As the harvest got underway, optimism returned to the region after the 15 th of September along with blue skies and sunshine! Acidity levels had developed nicely, while sugar levels climbed thanks to the noticeably low yields. The wines of the 2010 vintage are both fresh and fruity, a characteristic often associated with Alsace s wines and this bodes well for their ageing potential. Wine making knowledge and experience was vital in order to perfect the balance of these wines (particularly in terms of lees ageing). In the end, however, the region s professionals have been delighted by the quality of the wines created in Thanks to high albeit ripe and balanced levels of acidity, the Crémants d Alsace have proved a huge success. Muscats and Pinot Blancs show both lively acidity and bright fruit. The Pinot Noirs have lots of fruit and colour thanks to the potential for good levels of extraction. Gewurztraminer yields were noticeably low this year, nevertheless the wines are incredibly fruity and floral (rose), albeit less spicy than in Their characteristic richness has been perfectly balanced by the freshness of this vintage. The Pinot Gris avoided any disease developments in The wines are pure, rich in fruit, noticeably aromas of ripe pears, and balanced. Riesling yields were low, but the wines show both high levels of acidity and citrus aromas, showing great promise in terms of ageing potential. Given that the weather during the last part of the harvest season failed to provide ideal conditions for the development of noble rot, and the low yields typical of the year, the volume of Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles wines produced this year was also low. Nevertheless, what sweet wines were produced are extremely high in quality. In terms of volume, total production was 911,950 hectolitres (hl), down 21.8% on 2009 ( 26.8% for still wines, with a total of 670,880hl, and 3.7% for Crémant d Alsace, with a total of 241,070hl produced). In terms of sales, 2010 saw total volumes of 1,100,000hl, down slightly (by 1.5%) on the equivalent figures of The principal drop came from the domestic market (down 2.8%). Exports rose by 2.5%. AOC Crémant d Alsace has seen continuous growth, with volumes of 243,000hl sold (up 0.7% in major French cities and 6.5% in terms of exports). Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d Alsace civa@civa.fr Mars 2011

7 THE 2011 HARVEST IN ALSACE: FRESH AND FRUITY WINES During the first bottling, which took place in March, the quality of the vintage quickly became clear. All the wines made in 2011 show a lot fruit and crispness. They are quaffable and fresh wines which release their aromas easily. It is important to recognise that the climatic conditions in 2011, which put a strain on the nerves of professionals, have greatly influenced the structure of the wines. The careful management of the spring drought and the high temperatures during harvest, combined with the precise hand-sorting of the grapes were the key success factors of the 2011 vintage. This year, the vineyard has constantly been tossed to and fro between extremes: harsh winters (-20 C on the 26 th of December 2010!), mild or high temperatures in spring then drought, followed by heavy rainfall in summer. The budburst took place at the beginning of April, a fortnight earlier than normal. The dry, sunny, very hot weather accelerated flowering in late May by two to three weeks. The excellent weather conditions during flowering led to a good budburst, and counteracted the risk of fungal diseases. The early summer months were cooler and more humid than the latter, and the return of good weather on the 15 th of August made up for much of the water deficit and slightly reduced the advance of the vegetation. The Regional Committee of Alsace Wines Experts (CRINAO) finally managed to agree on the following dates to begin the harvest: For AOC Crémant d Alsace - Thursday, 25 th August. For AOC Alsace, Wednesday 7 th September and Monday 12 th September 2011 depending on grape varieties. For AOC Alsace Grand Cru, Wednesday 7 th September 2011 for Pinot Gris for all the lieux dits (unless otherwise requested by the Local Management) and Monday 12 th September for the other grape varieties. For the Vendanges Tardives and Sélections de Grains Nobles, Wednesday 21 st September for Pinot Gris and Monday 26 th September for the other three noble varieties. The harvest took place under the best possible conditions. The wind eliminated any occurrence of rot and this contributed to the development of the concentration of the wine. Apart from the areas that normally require early harvesting, the experts were patient, as in 2007, in order to best manage the ripeness and condition of the fruit. From mid September, Alsace was lucky enough to benefit from a true Indian summer! While vinification didn t pose any particular problems, there were nonetheless occasions when the pickers needed to hand-sort the grapes and sometimes use chillers in the cellars. Surprisingly, considering the amount of heat that had been absorbed by the grapes, the fermentation process started relatively quickly. Controlling this fermentation process was the key to preserving the aromatic potential of this vintage. The two great success stories of this 2011 vintage are the Crémants d Alsace and the Sylvaner. The crucial decisions taken as to when to harvest were proved accurate as the Pinot Blancs, Auxerrois and Pinot Gris were all in perfect condition, despite having experienced very humid summer conditions. The Pinots Gris are well-balanced and fruity, the Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois light and fresh. The Pinot Noirs have good colour and closed tannins. The Rieslings have great aroma and a light acidity; meticulous yield controls was the key for them. The Muscats are crisp and fruity. The fermentation of Gewurztraminers was managed with great attention in order to avoid high alcohol levels as well as to preserve their Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d Alsace civa@civa.fr March 2012

8 aromatic complexity. As the climatic conditions of the end of season were less favourable for the development of noble rot, the production of Vendanges Tardives should be more noteworthy than that of the Sélections de Grains Nobles. The harvest volume totals 1,160,000 hl, up 27% in comparison with the exceptionally low volume recorded in It has increased by 6% compared with the five-year average and consists of 840,000 hl of AOC Alsace, 45,500 hl of AOC Alsace Grands Crus and 275,000 of AOC Crémant d'alsace. pcommercially, the low 2010 harvest volume and the price pressures have resulted in a slowdown in the bottle market ended on a total commercial volume of 1,049,250 hl, all AOCs and channels comprise, down 4.5% from the previous year. The decrease was more pronounced in the French market (- 4.7%) than export markets (-3.9%). Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins d Alsace civa@civa.fr March 2012