One of three Altenbergs in Alsace (the other two being Bergheim and Wolxheim), Altenberg de Bergbieten is a 71.5 acre vineyard of marl-clay soil containing fragmented gypskeuper. Gewurztraminer and Riesling excel in this vineyard, but I have had an excellent Muscat from here as well. The wines from this Cru are unique (a hallmark of a Grand Cru), exhibiting what I would describe (such as one can describe something ineffable) as a spicy floral character.

Grand Cru...Really?
I have had several wines from this Grand Cru, and only two estates have produced the kind of exquisite wine one should expect from a Grand Cru: Frédérich Mochel and Roland Schmitt. They seem to me to be the lonely standard bearers for the delimitation of this land as Grand Cru.

Though I encountered the wines of Roland Schmitt first, I have more experience with wines from Mochel (thanks to David Schildknecht, who introduced me to Mochel several years ago, when he was still running the imports at Vintner Select). Mochel usually crafts his basic Riesling and Gewurztraminer of Grand Cru fruit. He reserves the Grand Cru label for the most singular fruit, which has often been affected by botrytis cinerea to some degree. This certainly raises the bar for the Cru itself, and suggests that a secondary tier (Premier Cru) would be appropriate for at least a portion of the vineyard.

Popularity: 3% [?]