An exceptional site :
The Mandelberg ("Almond Tree Slope") hill shelters the village of Mittelwihr from the cold northerly winds.
The southern flank of the hill, facing south-south-east, enjoys optimum exposure to the sun and forms the Grand Cru Mandelberg vineyard. Its soil is limestone-marl, overlying Tertiary-era conglomerates from the edge of the Rhine trough.
Favoured varietals :
The 22 hectares are planted with Gewurztraminer (40 %) and Riesling (30 %), completed by Tokay Pinot Gris and Muscat.
Within living memory...
The vines grow alongside with the almond trees which gave their name to the slope. First cultivated in the Gallo-Roman era, then under the Frankish nobility, the Mandelberg became, like the other vineyards of Mittelwihr, the property of the abbeys of Saint-Dié, Ebersmunster, Munster... The name of Mandelberg was first used on bottles of Alsace wine in 1925.
Typical characteristics :
Mandelberg wines have great nobility. They develop a pronounced fruitiness with exquisite finesse, the hallmark of wines from limestone-magnesite soils, and age extremely well.
[ back ]
|
