Alsace grand cru Altenberg de Bergheim

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The grand cru lies entirely within the commune of Bergheim, at the mouth of the small, enclosed Bergenbach valley, on the slopes of the Grasberg hill.
• The vineyard sits at the heart of the Ribeauvillé fault system, with shallow, very stony red marl-limestone soils rich in fossils, formed from Middle and Lower Jurassic limestones and marls.
• The vineyard faces mainly south, with a moderate to steep slope, and the Vosges massif shelters it from the damp, cool northwesterly winds.
• The appellation is sheltered from north winds by the Altenberg rise and from west winds by the Taennchel massif, with low rainfall and a calm, still, windless mesoclimate.
• The small difference between day and night temperatures allows physiological ripeness to progress gently, so the grapes are harvested late, often just as noble rot begins to develop.

• The Altenberg de Bergheim belonged for a long time to the Cistercian order and then to the powerful Ribeaupierre family, before the appellation was recognized in 1983.
• Production allows for a blended wine bearing the name of the terroir, in which other grape varieties may be added to the main varieties Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot gris.
• The minimum planting density is set at 5,500 vines per hectare, and the grapes are harvested by hand, including for late harvests and Sélection de Grains Nobles made from overripe, fragile grapes.

• The wines are marked by a pronounced freshness built on dominant tartaric acidity linked to excellent grape ripeness.
• These wines show a seasonal evolution and very high ageing potential, reaching their peak after 15 to 20 years.
• One group of wines comes from Riesling alone grown as a single variety, marked by drier, more mineral, deep wines sometimes touched by fossil-like aromas.
• At their peak, these wines are very powerful, discreet on the attack, full-bodied on the palate, with a fruity, vanilla-tinged, soft acidity, often marked by noble rot but remaining very mouth-watering.

• The location, the due-south orientation, the slope, the geology and the fractured limestone subsoils, together with the strength of the shallow clay-limestone soils and the steady water supply, give the vine steady growth and balanced vigour.
• The rather late-ripening terroir leads to high ripeness levels, often amplified by excellent late-season conditions favourable to concentration on the vine and the development of noble rot.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF), JORF 29 juin 2016,
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — CIVA