Hunter McKirdy | Alsace | Les Champs des Roches VdF | 2023 | 750ml

Description

Product description for Hunter McKirdy Les Champs des Roches VdF 2023

Wine Information

On the eastern flank of the hill on which Zellenberg stands is a small hillock of gravel deposits known as the Burgreben. This was the final destination of the moraine formed in the Vosges Mountains during the Mindel glaciation. These fields of stones are visually out of place in an area dominated by heavy calcareous marl soils. They consist of a shallow, 25cm deep layer of gravel over a bedrock of Oligocene limestone. The soils are free-draining, east-facing, and at an altitude of 230m. This causes them to warm quickly, making this early-ripening site best suited to Riesling. Les Champs des Roches is a single-varietal Riesling. Harvest timing was determined by pH and acidity ripeness, with no consideration given to potential alcohol content. The grapes were hand-picked, sorted, and brought to the winery in 10kg crates. They were then pressed whole in a hydraulic wooden basket press for 8 to 10 hours. Jolène Hunter and Paul McKirdy call this a Champagne pressing. The juice was then gravity-fed, without débourbage, into Burgundy barrels over 10 years old, where the wine was allowed to ferment spontaneously. The wine matured for nine months on its full lees without racking and without the addition of SO2. Only a minimal amount of sulfite was added before bottling.

Colour

Light platinum yellow

Nose

Initially, the nose reveals pencil shavings, herbs, crushed rock, and verbena. Then the Riesling’s typical character becomes clearer, revealing a slightly fruity aroma of pome fruit, a touch of white stone fruit, and lemon.

Palate

On the palate, the Riesling appears crystalline. It becomes increasingly juicy with aeration, with light fruit, a clear yet charming and sensual acidity, salt and iodine, pollen, apple, and herbal notes. Over two days, the wine becomes increasingly elegant and silky without losing its tension and the electrifying minerality. It remains lean and powerful with a very fine texture, mingled with a hint of tannin.

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Keywords: Hunter McKirdy Les Champs des Roches VdF 2023 Alsace France

Producer website: https://www.instagram.com/huntermckirdy_vins/?__d=1