187 Muscat Altenberg de Bergbieten Grand Cru AC 2009
Domaine Fréderic Mochel

Grape:100% Muscat Ottonel (14% alc, 10.1g/l of rs)

This comes from 30 year old vines and is a rich structured wine in 2009. It is a long keeper – the 1988 was outstanding in late 2005! Once the wine gets beyond six years it takes an altogether different guise, revealing layers of complexity that make it one of France’s finest, most surprising and under-rated grape varieties. Available October. For drinking now to 2020+.

Technical Information
Winemaker:	Guillaume Mochel
Location:	Traenheim
Size of domaine:	10 hectares (inc 5 Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergbieten)
Grape:	Muscat Ottonel (30 yr old vines) on S04. 5500 vines per hectare, trained guyot double.
Terroir:	South facing hillside, well sheltered at 230 mtrs altitude, kauper marls and dolomites (brittle transluscent mineral consisting of the carbonates of lime and magnesia). One of first 5 sites back in 1983 to gain grand cru status (next 25 in 1990).
Viticulture:	Plough soil 1 row in 2, grass sown in other row – this results in fewer leaves, more aerated grape bunches and smaller grapes. Add cow manure very occasionally. Debud and carry out vendanges en verts. Hand harvest 100% (the only 1 of 22 growers in Traenheim). Yield – 45 hectos per hectare
Vinification:	Natural yeasts only. Uses pneumatic press. 2 days of maceration pelliculaire then 20 hours debourbage. Vinification in mix of stainless steel and old foudres at an average temp 17°C and max of 20°C. The vinification lasts between 3 weeks to 4 months. Malos blocked. Aged in 50-200 yr old oak foudres (which contain plaques to control temperature). 1 racking. Bottled in August. Fining no. Filtration – in spring kieselhur, and then plaque at bottling using their own equipment. 4500 bottles per year on average.
Press:

 

qty (bottles)

exc vat: £17.67