Alsace grand cru Furstentum

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The soils are brown, calcareous, and of a gravelly and filtering structure, with outcrops of bedrock on terroirs of marly-calcareous-sandy Lower Dogger origin.
• The Vosges massif shields the vineyard from cool, moist north-westerly winds, enabling viticulture on well-exposed, steeply sloping hillsides.
• The amphitheatre-like setting of this lieu-dit shelters the site from the wind, and the marly-calcareous-sandy soils retain heat, creating a mesoclimate of Mediterranean character.
• Alsace enjoys a sheltered, temperate semi-continental climate, in which the prevailing westerly winds shed their moisture on the western slopes of the Vosges and arrive as a foehn — drier and warmer. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
• Rainfall is lower and temperatures are somewhat higher, with an annual mean approximately 1.5 °C above what would be expected at this latitude. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• The appellation d'origine contrôlée Alsace grand cru Furstentum was recognised in 1992, reflecting a longstanding tradition of communicating the origin of wines by lieu-dit.
• The vineyard is trained using a high trellis system to achieve an optimal leaf canopy, with a minimum planting density of 4,500 vines per hectare and hand-harvesting of the grapes.
• Wines bearing the Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles designations are made from over-ripe and fragile grapes harvested by hand, and must undergo a minimum of 18 months of ageing.

• These age-worthy white wines are characterised by a pronounced freshness driven by predominantly tartaric acidity, in conjunction with good grape ripeness.
• Four styles may be distinguished: dry and mineral wines, aromatic, fruity, full and rich wines, and wines in the Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles categories.
• Vendanges Tardives wines often display highly exotic and candied-fruit aromas with a fresh finish, while Sélection de Grains Nobles yields more concentrated and powerful wines with fruit-paste aromas.

• The sheltered position of the grand cru and its soil type lend the wines an aromatic complexity of spices and flowers, leading into more mineral notes.
• A citrus-driven acidity is accompanied by a tannic structure that gives the wines their considerable ageing potential.

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