Gustave Lorentz Riesling Altenberg Grand Cru 2005

Here’s a mineral, dry Riesling true to Grand Cru Alsace with a nose with a touch of petrol, it’s a crystalline and filigreed wonder that sets itself apart –head and shoulders above other Riesling peers. Just outside the medieval town of Bergheim one can find Altenberg on the south side of the Grasberg escarpment, a steep slope at an altitude of 700 to 1,000 feet whose warm and temperate micro-climate comes from its southern exposure. Combined with the remote shelter of the Vosges, the temperature and humidity are consistent –arguably ideal. The heights of Altenberg are at the heart of Ribeauvillé’s “champ de failles” or fault line –exposing the limestone and marl from the Middle Jurassic to the lower Altenberg’s red calcareous clay soil stony, shallow and rich in fossils typical of clay-limestone soils that combine into an impressive result: a mineral driven Riesling which proves itself naturally deserving of Grand Cru status.
Wine review by Nicholas Livingston, July 2013

Food Pairings

Pork, ham, scallops. Salmon or tuna most anyway even tartare. Asian food. An excellent wine with food.