Alsace grand cru Sonnenglanz

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The Vosges massif shields the vineyard from cool, moist north-westerly winds, allowing vines to be planted on the well-exposed slopes facing east to south-west.
• The grand cru sits on a calcareous promontory of Oligocene marls over rounded pebbles, jutting into the plain, which makes it an early-ripening and relatively dry site.
• These conditions favour high grape maturity, often associated with the development of noble rot.
• The calcareous brown soil, relatively heavy, stony, and deep, induces a slow start to vegetative growth linked to the very gradual warming of the ground.
• The geological nature of the soil ensures excellent retention of water and nutrients while allowing good drainage of rainwater.
• The subsoil of Sonnenglanz was laid down from the Oligocene through to the upper Eocene — the Lattorfian — during the formation of the Rhine Graben. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
• The subsoil strata are composed of marls and rounded pebbles of Vosges sandstone, Buntsanstein quartz, Muschelkalk limestone, and Bajocian oolite. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• The appellation d'origine contrôlée 'Alsace grand cru Sonnenglanz' was recognised in 1983, and its wines come from plots that have been rigorously and precisely delimited on the basis of the historic production heartland.
• The only authorised varieties are white: Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot gris, Muscat à petits grains blancs, Muscat à petits grains roses, and Muscat ottonel.

• These age-worthy white wines are distinguished by a marked freshness grounded in a dominant tartaric acidity, linked to good grape maturity.
• Four wine styles can be identified: dry and mineral, or aromatic, fruity, full-bodied, and rich, both categories displaying a sustained depth of colour ranging up to golden yellow.
• Vendanges Tardives wines often show highly exotic and candied-fruit aromas with a fresh finish, while Sélection de Grains Nobles wines are more concentrated and powerful, frequently displaying fruit-paste aromas, both designations presenting a depth of colour ranging up to amber yellow.

• The warm, dry character of the grand cru imparts an acidity that is at once firm and supple, with suave, complex aromas derived from overripeness.
• The excellent late-season climatic conditions favour concentration on the vine and the development of noble rot, enabling harvests at full overripeness.

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