Alsace grand cru Engelberg

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The Vosges massif shields the vineyard from the damp, cool winds of the north-west, favouring planting on the well-exposed, steeply sloping hillsides of the sub-Vosges foothills.
• The Engelberg grand cru extends over the south face of the Scharrachberg, a hill that overlooks the surrounding landscape and occupies the mid-slope belt at between 230 m and 300 m in altitude.
• The vines grow on well-drained marl-limestone-sandstone soils, whose deeper layers allow a steady water supply.
• An old quarry exposes a geological section some twenty metres high, revealing rocks of the upper Bajocian grande oolithe dated to –178 to –170 million years.
• The grand cru, whose total area is only 14.80 hectares, is nestled north of the Alsace wine route and south-facing, benefiting from generous sunshine. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• The Alsace grand cru Engelberg appellation, recognized in 1992, covers a total area of only 14.80 hectares, resulting from a strict delimitation inspired by the historic centres of production.
• Since the law of 5 July 1972, the wines must be bottled in the Bas-Rhin or Haut-Rhin, traditionally in the flute of the "Rhine wine" type described in the 1955 decree.
• The vineyard is trained with a high trellis system to provide optimal leaf area, with a minimum planting density of 4,500 vines per hectare and hand-harvesting of the grapes.

• Engelberg wines show an acidic, rich structure, with dominant tartaric acidity linked to good grape ripeness.
• With great length on the palate, they grow more complex with age without ever losing their airy, fresh character, making them white wines for laying down par excellence.
• Wines bearing the vendanges tardives and sélection de grains nobles designations are sweet wines of very long ageing potential, with remarkable concentration and great aromatic persistence.

• The excellent late-season weather conditions allow gradual, complete ripening of the grapes, resulting in balanced dry or off-dry wines suited to fine dining.
• The concentration of grapes on the vine and the development of noble rot also allow for the production of wines from overripe harvests.

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