Riesling Wineck Schlossberg Grand Cru 2024 Meyer Fonnée | Alsace

Domaine Meyer-Fonné 's Riesling Grand Cru Wineck-Schlossberg is a major benchmark amongAlsace's great white wines, combining rigorous winemaking with mineral purity. This emblematic Grand Cru, located on the heights of Katzenthal, extends over steep, south-facing slopes. Domaine Meyer-Fonné cultivates an ancient parcel of Riesling, planted over thirty-five years ago on a highly weathered, two-mica granite soil known as Turckheim granite. This poor, highly draining substrate favors natural concentration and slow ripening, essential to the finesse of Alsace's king of grapes. The combination of altitude, slope and sunlight creates a dry, luminous microclimate, ideal for producing Rieslings with remarkable tension and ageing potential. The vines are precisely trained in organic viticulture, and the harvest is entirely manual to preserve the integrity of the berries. After a slow, delicate pressing of whole grapes, fermentation takes place naturally, using indigenous yeasts, over several weeks. The wine is aged for around twelve months on fine lees in old wooden tuns, to bring out the minerality of the terroir and the verticality of the grape variety.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin: For me, the Riesling Grand Cru Wineck-Schlossberg from Domaine Meyer-Fonné is one of the finest dry Rieslings in Alsace. This exceptional wine perfectly encapsulates the wine estate's style: chiselled, straightforward, intense without excess. In a range that is already very homogeneous in terms of quality, this cuvée stands out for its precision and depth. It impresses any palate with its mineral purity, crystalline structure and ability to age admirably.

On the nose, this Riesling reveals a refined elegance, blending delicate floral notes of rose and jasmine with fruity scents of tangerine and white peach. A smoky, delicate minerality reminiscent of gunflint enhances the whole, which is expressed with crystalline purity and without heaviness.

On the palate, the attack is fresh, with a slightly perlage sensation. The acidity is precise and chiselled, while retaining a luminous fruitiness. A saline, mineral sensation typical of two-mica granite underpins the vibrant freshness of this wine, which unfolds in an airy, elegant texture. The finish is long, straightforward and expressive, with persistent mineral notes and salivating bitters.