Alsace grand cru Zotzenberg

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• Soils: very dense marls over a limestone bedrock, well drained, with balanced water supply
• South/south-east exposure on a steeply sloping hillside at the foot of the Vosges
• The Vosges massif shields the vineyard from cool, moisture-laden winds from the north-west
• Soils predominantly clay and silt at the surface, with Bajocian marls and oolitic limestones to the east
• Upper slope: Oligocene calcareous and marly conglomerates with Dogger pebbles (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• AOC recognised in 1992, with sylvaner B authorised alongside riesling B, gewurztraminer Rs and pinot gris G
• High-trained vines, minimum density of 4,500 vines/ha, hand-harvesting compulsory; VT and SGN require a minimum of 18 months' ageing

• Dry wines are mineral or aromatic/fruity/full, with a golden-yellow colour; VT (exotic aromas, candied fruit) and SGN (fruit paste) through to amber-yellow
• Long ageing potential: dry wines gain complexity with time; VT/SGN are described as 'very long-lived sweet wines' of 'remarkable concentration'

• The dense marls of Zotzenberg produce full-bodied, rich wines with an elegant salinity and great aromatic finesse

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Sources

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