Auxerrois Rotenberg 2021 1500ml Magnum
A dry Auxerrois from Alsace, bottled for the first time in 2021 solely from the Rotenberg vineyard.
CHF 103.00
Prices in CHF, including customs duty and all import charges, plus shipping CHF 15 (free from 12 bottles or CHF 300) — no further charges on delivery.
Available for Switzerland
Magnum — counts as 2 bottles in the case.
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About this wine
Character
A dry Alsatian white wine that holds juicy fruit and chalky coolness in tension, at a moderate 12.5% vol., with a tannic structure that remains unusually tangible for a white wine.
Terroir and origin
The Rotenberg lies on the western slope of the Grand Cru Hengst, on barren, rocky red limestone, facing a forest. A quiet place where the grapes ripen slowly; even Emile Zind, Olivier Humbrecht's grandfather, held this parcel in high regard.
Grape variety and vinification
100% Auxerrois, the oldest part of the vineyard planted in the early 1950s. Until now this site was vinified separately but always blended in the end with the house's classic Pinot Blanc; in 2021 it remained on its own for the first time. Yields were very low, and after a long fermentation and lees ageing the wine fermented fully dry. The vines are farmed biodynamically.
On the palate
On the nose, quince, pear and apricot, followed by roasted almonds, freshly churned butter, candied ginger and honey on toasted baguette with salted butter, a touch of flint, all underpinned by a chalky note. On the palate, cool finesse and invigorating freshness, the juicy fruit gains plenty of grip from the fine tannic structure, mouth-watering and with drive.
Food pairing suggestions
Asparagus with salted butter, pear and sorrel, puff pastry vol-au-vents filled with poultry, veal sweetbreads and mushrooms, or pikeperch pan-fried skin-side down with shallot-white wine sauce and apricots.
Special features
The first standalone bottling of this vineyard, here in magnum format. Olivier Humbrecht, the first Frenchman to hold the title of Master of Wine, farms 42 hectares in Turckheim; the family has been growing grapes since 1620. No wine leaves the cellar before one to two years of ageing.
