2011 Paul Blanck Pinot Gris Furstentum Grand Cru Sélection de Grains Nobles

Paul Blanck

France / Alsace / Paul Blanck

The Furstentum Grand Cru lies at 400m altitude, facing due south. It is one of the last remaining vestiges of the sub-Mediterranean era that Alsace experienced. The soil is very stony and drains well because the calcareous bedrock breaks through.
The grains nobles are picked grape by grape during successive passages through the vineyard. They are in a shrivelled, concentrated state at the moment of picking, having been affected by noble rot (botrytis cinerea). This concentration masks the varietal characteristics somewhat, yet gives the wine exceptional complexity and power.
The juice is delicately extracted in an air-bag press. The slow, gentle pressing avoids crushing the stalks and pips. The fermentation proceeds at a controlled temperature in stainless-steel vats. It gets under way of its own accord thanks to the natural yeast found on the grape skins. As for the botrytis cinerea, it concentrates the grapes' sugar levels (80 to 150 g/l of residual sugar) and acidity. The resulting sweet wine is complex and very concentrated, and has enormous ageing potential.

November, 2012

Ian D'Agata

Vinous Media

94 points

Deep golden-yellow, almost orange. Pure smoky botrytis tones complicate honeyed peach, apricot and dates on the nose. Then bright and very sweet (160g/l residual sugar) in the mouth, with fleshy ripe tropical fruit flavors. Could use a little more acidity for further lift (though it does have 6.3 g/L total acidity), but this is outstanding.

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About Paul Blanck

Originating in Austria, the Blanck family moved to the cultural melting pot that is Alsace centuries ago. It’s getting on for 200 years since this particular branch established a wine business in Kientzheim. Since the mid-1980s, cousins Frédéric and Philippe Blanck have been in control of the organic-certified estate, placing a sharp focus on the vines and the soil they grow in. They farm 24 hectares in total, with grands crus and highly prized lieux-dits accounts for more than two-thirds. Sometimes the brilliance of Alsace – its terroir and the spice, minerals, freshness and sweet fruit it delivers – gets overlooked by the wine-drinking world. There’s little chance of that happening with the Blancks around. “We wish to share with everyone the force and diversity of Alsace; the richness of the grape varieties and the joie de vivre of its people,” they say. And we’re very happy to be the ones to help them share it.

About

Along with his cousin, Philippe Blanck, Freddie took over the estate operation in the mid-1980s with a mission to create wines of pure pleasure for winelovers the world over. From the word go they have worked tirelessly to respect the vines and soil upon which they are planted. As they put it, “We wish to share with everyone the force and diversity of the Alsace ; the richness of the grape varieties and the joie de vivre of its people.”