Les Vieilles Vignes de Sylvaner 2023 Ostertag | Alsace

Sylvaner is one of the best-knowngrape varieties in Alsace. It is one of the region's mainstays and has been revived by numerous winemakers. Historically, it was drunk mainly at midday as a thirst-quenching wine. It was not considered a true quality grape variety. Today, winemakers such as André and Arthur Ostertag and Domaine Albert Boxler are showing us Sylvaner in a way we've never tasted before. After all, it's a great grape variety with extraordinary potential. It's a similar story in Burgundy with Aligoté.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin: At the Ostertag wine estate, we've long believed in the potential of Sylvaner . The people of the Alsace region are very attached to it. They want us to give this grape variety a new lease of life by giving it the place it deserves. This cuvée Sylvaner Vieilles Vignes comes from vines over 55 years old , cultivated biodynamically since 1998. This results in a deep root system and, consequently, great minerality in the wine.

On the nose, the first thing you notice is the approach of the grape variety, the slightly rustic side of sylvaner. This is pleasant, a wine with an assertive personality. Then, with a little oxygen, the wine reveals a completely different aspect. Notes of honey, humus, wax, an almost sappy quality emerge, which is superb and above all very interesting.

On the palate, there's a lovely fatness to the attack, and you can feel that the grapes are ripe. More exotic notes emerge on tasting: white peach, apricot and pink grapefruit. The finish has a slightly saline, mineral touch that adds complexity and depth.

A wine to be tasted blind!