Riesling Brand Grand Cru 2018

The Grand Cru Brand hillside looks down on the old town of Turckheim at its feet. South-facing on moderate to steep slopes, it benefits from an exceptional early-ripening climate. The cooler wind from the deep Münstertal often pushes the rain further out, so the site is also very dry. The warm, well-drained granite reinforces the dryness on the surface. Fortunately, the biotite granite contains black mica, which eventually leads to a very interesting high surface. The vines are old and deeply rooted, which means less drought stress. This explains why people used to say you had to wait at least 30 years to make a real brandy. "In 2018, we were particularly impressed with how our vineyards were able to grow very well in tough conditions. The Riesling grape suffered in 2018 on much poorer soils, but not here! The grapes in the brandy reached perfect and early ripeness, stayed very healthy, so the wine fermented very well!"

Brilliant golden yellow with delicate green reflections.

Terroir, terroir and more terroir on the nose of the 2018 Riesling Brand. Beautiful, but due to the youth still clearly closed, so off into the carafe with him. Then it beguiles with yellow fruit reminiscent of apricot, candied lemon zest, sugared grapefruit, dried flowers and hay. Ethereal hints of ginger and lemon balm are also in the mix. All these first impressions are framed in a taut corset of striking minerality.

The palate is fresh and gripping, attacking the tongue in the most pleasant way. Particularly present in its youthful stage are the citrus and ginger of the nose, which express themselves with stimulating freshness on the tongue. A beautifully powerful drop that deserves a few years of cellar ageing, even if it is already extremely appetising in its youthful stage.

If you want to enjoy it now, you should decant it for several hours and serve it in a sufficiently large glass; a few days of opening will make it more expressive.