Pinot Gris Furstentum Grand Cru 2019

Wine Description for Pinot Gris Furstentum Grand Cru 2019 from Domaine Albert Mann

Colour & Appearance

Radiant golden yellow with bright and amber-coloured reflexes – a wine that reveals its origins from old vines and limestone-influenced terroir already in the glass.

Nose

Restrained, yet of bewitching depth. Candied quince and ginger, caramelised pear and dried apricot unfold like a visit to an Alsatian patisserie: bee sting cake, Tarte Tatin, roasted almonds and sponge cake. Yet despite this opulence, not a trace of cloying sweetness. Flint and cold smoke lend mineralic depth, whilst artichoke, fennel and yellow carrots provide vegetable complexity. Cardamom, cinnamon and clove round off the ethereal aromatic interplay.

Palate

This dry Grand Cru is a lesson in restraint and elegance. Multi-layered, yet never obtrusive – it rests within itself like a wise old monk. The fruit, the spice, the patisserie notes: everything is wrapped in a silken cocoon, nothing breaks free. With moderate acidity (4.5 g/l) and only 3 g/l residual sugar, a quiet grandeur emerges that impresses not through volume, but through precision. With each sip, respect for this achievement grows – an honest wine full of intensity that never denies its origins.

Finish

Long, mineralic and carried by fine spice. The ginger notes linger, underpinned by a subtle salinity that underscores the limestone terroir.

Terroir & Origin

The Grand Cru vineyard site Furstentum in Kientzheim, first mentioned in 1330, offers ideal conditions: south-facing limestone slopes on which at least 25-year-old Pinot Gris vines are rooted. The 2019 vintage started challengingly, but developed into a brilliant year with distinctive acidity structures.

Grape Variety & Vinification

Pinot Gris, vinified and aged entirely in stainless steel – proof that great wines don’t need wooden barrels when terroir and craftsmanship are right.

Food Pairing Recommendations

Roasted fennel with orange sauce, artichoke hearts with melted goat’s cheese and tomato chutney, miso salmon grilled on the skin with grated ginger – the wine’s vegetable complexity harmonises perfectly with spicy, umami-rich dishes.

Special Features

A Pinot Gris that demonstrates this grape variety can do far more than produce agreeable entry-level wines. This is Grand Cru in its purest form: complex, terroir-driven and of quiet grandeur.