Log in / Sign up Ostertag Heissenberg Riesling 2019
Heissenberg means “the hot mountain”, so named for its heat-driven microclimate. This lieu-dit located in Nothalten has a particularly hot micro-climate, due to its south-facing exposure combined with limited airflow. It’s a very steep hillside, located in a small “combe” between a granitic and a sandstone massif. As a result, it has a bit of both geological formations with mainly pink sandstone but also gneiss and a splash of volcanic ash resulting from the nearby Muenchberg.
2019 Heissenberg is a candidate in the current process of creating premiers crus in Alsace. This is a vineyard where only careful farming with low yields can produce interesting wines. The climatic personality of the place is so strong, that without a terroir vision, the wines result flabby and flat. But with an organic and biodynamic approach, old vines, and strict yield control, the sub-soil expresses in a unique, dense, and structured mineral core that brings a very special balance. This is what the label shows: when the sky and earth are in perfect balance through the vine, harmony comes into the wine.
Onion tart with mature goat cheese
The 0.75 ha of vines are close-planted and grown biodynamically, like all the Domaine. They produce small, very concentrated and aromatically rich grapes, of exceptional structure and intensity. The wines are never based on a high acidity, but rather on the dry extract that brings a combination of noble bitters and salty minerality. The 2019 was delicately airbag-pressed as whole bunches for 10 hours. It was fermented in stainless steel vats with natural yeasts and aged on its lees. It has a balance of 13.5% alcohol and 2g/L of residual sugar. It’s a dry wine, certified organic and biodynamic. The 2019 vintage was a sunny one, which gave racy wines thanks to dry extracts rarely achieved before. There is a nice density in the middle of the mouth. Time and aeration will allow the wines to unfold. The finish is prolonged by beautiful bitterness and punctuated by a refreshing touch. – Arthur Ostertag
