Riesling Furstentum Grand Cru 2020

A Grand Cru of intensity and clarity. The 2020 has power without becoming heavy, and the vintage lends it a fine, delicate line. The wine is still evolving, yet already gives pleasure if given a few hours of air.

The Furstentum lies sheltered from the wind in the valley of Kaysersberg and Sigolsheim, 30.5 hectares facing south-southwest, very steep with a 37% slope. The soil is a brown, limestone-rich skeletal soil over a terroir of limestone, marl and sandstone from the Middle Jurassic, covered at the surface by tertiary conglomerates. As early as 1330, a monastery in Basel listed the site in its inventory of vineyards.

Pure Riesling from vines around 30 years old. Maurice and Jacky Barthelmé have farmed their 25 hectares in Wettolsheim biodynamically since 1997, working the steepest slopes with a horse instead of a tractor so the soil isn't compacted and the roots can reach deeper. The wine is dry, at 13.5% vol.

Full and intense, yet silky and creamy. The acidity is tightly woven, saline components and a fine grip keep the wine lively. Alongside these, pale stone fruit, pome fruit, and the juice and tart, piquant zest of limequats.

Cod en papillote with spring vegetables, a touch of coconut milk and Thai basil. Grilled crayfish with quatre épices, deglazed with Riesling. From the wok, spring vegetables with coconut milk, Thai basil and coriander.

The Furstentum is one of six Grand Cru sites of the domaine, whose holdings are spread across nearly a hundred parcels. In 2012, the two brothers-in-law were named Winemakers of the Year. Antoine, the next generation, now works alongside them.