An unusual Grand Cru in that the grape that is perhaps its greatest exponent is Sylvaner. There are not many vineyards devoted to Sylvaner in Alsace at all, let alone Grand Cru real estate, but the Sylvaner from Zotzenberg can be absolutely electrifying, and there are not enough of them that ever make it to the States. It is situated almost in the midst of the town, as is not uncommon throughout Alsace, but it doesn't define the landscape in quite the same way as such dramatically located vineyards as Schlossberg or Rangen. But let's back up...

The Cru and Its Grapes
This excellent Bas-Rhin cru has been widely regarded so since the 16th Century (according to the locals), though its heritage stretches back to at least the mid-14th Century. Zotzenberg's fame was such that--like Kaefferkopf and Sporen (among others)--it's wines were sold under the vineyard name by the beginning of the 20th Century, long before the INAO began delimiting viticultural areas. Its 90 acres of limestone and marl stretches from west to east in graceful amphitheater-like slope on the north side of the beautiful village of Mittelbergheim. Alongside its famous Sylvaner, I have also tasted excellent Zotzenberg Riesling and Gewürztraminer. I have heard anecdotally that Pinot Gris performs quite well here, but I have never seen or heard of a Muscat in production from Zotzenberg, so I do not know if it occupies any real estate. Given Muscat's relatively small percentage of Alsace's overall vine population, it would be safe to surmise that if it is planted in Zotzenberg, it holds a miniscule place there.

The Finest Wines of Zotzenberg (insofar as my experience tells it...)
The export market, alas, represents too few producers of great wines from this cru. In other words, there are simply too few producers whose wines are exported at all. While out of context that statement may be true for Alsace as a whole--demand for Alsace wine remains stubbornly static--this is a cru whose wines should attract attention because of the Grand Cru Sylvaner. The body of wine lovers whose fascination with such things is large enough to support multiple producers in the marketplace, but the only producer I have found in the market recently was Albert Seltz. I have been lucky enough to have a Gewürztraminer (2006) and Sylvaner (2005), both of which were excellent. I have also been thrilled by the wines of Domaine Boeckel, whose wines wines have intermittently been available in the U.S. Among many highlights of my last trip to Alsace were three wines from Boeckel: a banana-butterscotch-rose inflected Gewürztraminer (2007) with a long, mouth-watering finish; a corpulent Riesling (2007) redolent of orange and bergamot that reminded me of the physicality and vividness of a Geisberg or Rangen Riesling (though without the fathomlessness inherent in Rieslings from those crus); and a spectacularly effulgent Sylvaner (2007) whose crystalline minerality dovetailed nicely with elements of citrus and lentils.

Popularity: 15% [?]

In the Grand Cru of Goldert, Alsace has its own "golden slope." If Burgundy's Côte d'Or is famous for extraordinary Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Goldert is famous for its Gewurztraminer, Muscat, and Pinot Gris, though all four 'noble' varieties (and some Pinot Noir) are planted in Goldert.

Brief Summary of a Long History
Goldert has quite a history, as its reknown stretches back to the 8th Century. Fast-forward to the French Revolution, and its great repute continued: one apocryphal source of oral history holds that Goldert was one of Thomas Jefferson's favorite sources of wine (he had so many...). Goldert is located to the north of Gueberschwihr, its slopes facing east. Its location, which is about 15 minutes southwest of Colmar, is in the center of the extraordinary stretch of land that is the Haut-Rhin. The foundation of the vineyard is a limestone subsoil covered by a calcareous topsoil in which clay and sandstone are mingled.

Grape Varieties in Use in Goldert
It has long been particularly esteemed for its Gewürztraminer and Muscat, but Pinot Gris from Goldert can be as extraordinary as from any other great source. Riesling fares least well, but when conditions are right, Goldert Riesling can be up to Grand Cru quality.

Top Growers in Goldert
My experience with wines from this Grand Cru rest mostly with the wines of Ernest Burn (all four noble varieties), and the Gewürztraminer and Muscat from Zind-Humbrecht. The wines from Zind-Humbrecht have been consistently available to me, so I have had a better chance to follow their qualitative stature, and they do not fail to inspire. Zind-Humbrecht also pulled off that rarest of feats when they produced a Muscat Vendange Tardive from Goldert in 1995. Ernest Burn and Goldert are practically synonymous--Burn's Clos St.-Imer is one of the great Clos in Alsace, and the wines are astonishing. I have not had the opportunity to have them since the 2004 vintage, but if history is any indication, Burn is still the greatest exponent of this terroir. I have also found Maurice Schueller's Gewürztraminer and Muscat to be excellent, but I have not had the opportunity to follow them on a regular basis.

Popularity: 9% [?]

This extremely steep vineyard overlooks the village of Thann (the banner photograph of this site was taken from Rangen--that steeple on the left is the Cathedral of St.-Thiébaut). The Thur river runs at the base of the vineyard, and as the vineyard rises up at a dizzying 70° angle, one is easily reminded of photographs of the Mosel. That is where the comparison ends, however, because the wines from Rangen are typically much more powerful. Rangen is a naturally great Grand Cru. Even in poor vintages, the wines from this vineyard still manage to be excellent. Rangen collects heat readily, yet it is an inherently cool vineyard. As a result its ripening period is long and steady: it remains one of the latest blooming and latest ripening vineyards in Alsace. It faces south, is mostly terraced and possesses soil made up of various volcanic rocks.

Resuscitating a Great Vineyard
Wines from Rangen have been revered since the twelfth century, but tending and harvesting vines at such a steep angle is difficult and expensive, and of course soil erosion is a yearly problem. The Sisyphean labor involved with managing this vineyard eventually led to disuse and if it weren't for the work of Léonard Humbrecht, Rangen might still be covered with little more than withered vines and underbrush. M. Humbrecht purchased the Clos St.-Urbain within Rangen in the early 1970s and proceeded make dazzling wines. These wines were difficult to ignore, of course, so others acquired and/or revived old parcels in the remainder of the vineyard. Even so, for at least fifteen years, the wines Zind-Humbrecht crafted from Rangen were the class of the Grand Cru, but Domaine Schoffit has continuously elevated the quality and consistency of the cuvées from their parcel in Rangen, and their wines are indeed great.

Wines and Producers of Rangen
Rangen is known for favoring Pinot Gris, historically, and current producers of Rangen wines have a long track record of strong Pinot Gris. Gewurztraminer also emerges from this hillside with beautiful wine, but Riesling is the show-stopper for me--there are only a handful of other vineyard sites that yield Riesling of such complexity. Only two producers who craft wines from Rangen are currently available in the U.S. with any regularity. Zind-Humbrecht, who got the Rangen revolution started, produces extraordinary examples of Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Riesling from their monopole within Rangen, the Clos St.-Urbain. Domaine Schoffit produces the same varieties from their monopole of Clos St.-Théobald.

Popularity: 8% [?]

This is one big vineyard--at 80 hectares, it is the largest of Alsace's Grands Crus. It is comprised of two parcels, one gigantic one on the main face of the hill, and a non-contiguous section that is composed of the same soil types. This site was famous when the Romans still maintained interests in this part of northern Europe, and has remained a cherished vineyard for over 16 centuries. When Alsace finally began to designate Grands Crus in 1975, Schlossberg was the first vineyard to be classified.

Vines and Wines of Schlossberg
The vines on this steep hillside are terraced over a mineral-rich alluvial clay and sand topsoil with the bedrock of granite. It is one of the greatest sites for Riesling, with widely varying styles that depend upon the location within the vineyard. The soil at the top of the hill is rather shallow and it deepens as you come down the hill. The Rieslings from the top of the hill are testy and, as the French might say, "nerveux". The Rieslings from the middle of the hill are richer but retain a sense of minerally tension. Rieslings from the bottom of the vineyard are dense and almost atypical, yet they still retain ample minerality, exhibiting the characteristics .

A surprising amount of Pinot Noir is planted in the Schlossberg, considering it is not one of the "noble" varieties. I have not encountered one from this site that has been given its due. Half of the fruit for Weinbach's Pinot Noir comes from the Schlossberg, but I haven't had it in almost ten years. When I was familiar with it, it tended to be light in color and weight, which is certainly true to the typical Pinot Noirs of Alsace. I wonder if it could be more without overdoing it. There are a number of great Pinots Noir made in is this corner of France, and I am curious to know if this vineyard can compete with them.

I understand that Gewurztraminer is planted in this vineyard as well, but I have not had one.

Illustrating the Grand Cru Controversy
One of the main controversial aspects of the Alsace Grand Cru system is summed up in the very existence of this vineyard. At 80 hectares (almost 198 acres), a survey of all of the wines from this vineyard would reveal wide variations in quality as well as in style, as mentioned above regarding the different styles of Riesling afforded by different sections of the vineyard. How can all of these wines truly be great? Within certain strictures (for example, those that are self-imposed by a quality-conscious producer), i.e., culling out substandard fruit, isolating parcels based on micro-climate, etc., can lead in this direction. For specific evidence of this, the three main wines from Domaine Weinbach's holdings illustrate this beautifully. The hillside vine locations of each of the wines are in parentheses: Riesling Schlossberg (top), Riesling Cuvée Ste.-Cathérine (bottom), and Riesling Schlossberg Cuvée Ste.-Cathérine (middle). All are clearly of supreme quality, but they are fascinatingly and manifestly different from each other. These three wines do, however, offer what any Grand Cru wine OUGHT to: a sense of mystery and breeding that is elusive and exclusive to only the best sites. It seems to me, however, that these wines are evidence of the need to break up the site into smaller Crus, and indeed, the intent seems to be to represent three separate Grands Crus carved out of the Schlossberg.

Major Producers of Grand Cru Schlossberg
Schlossberg is situated between Kaysersberg and Kientzheim (though most of it falls within the communal area of Kientzheim), and the CV Kientzheim-Kaysersberg makes a fine Schlossberg Riesling. The best however, are the Rieslings from Domaine Weinbach, which produces up to four different Rieslings from different portions of this site. Also getting exceptional results is Domaine Paul Blanck, which makes so many different wines from this vineyard (most of which cannot be bought outside Alsace) that you get the sense that they won't rest until they intimately know every inch of their holdings. Albert Mann rounds out my top three--their Schlossberg is sensational and generally comes off as a great value, as it is generally the most affordable.

Popularity: 11% [?]

As far as the Grands Crus go, there is absolutely no excuse for not including this vineyard among the first five Grands Crus that were created. It was, unbelievably, the last to be so recognized. Historically speaking, Kaefferkopf is the most famous of all Alsace vineyards, but it has been eclipsed--internationally, at least--by other vineyards that were included in the Grand Cru system. The names of Schlossberg, Rangen, Goldert, and Furstentum have been the worthy Grand Cru ambassadors...at least they have been to those who have a solid familiarity with Alsatian wine.

The vineyard is divided into three non-contiguous sections to the west of Ammerschwihr in the Haut-Rhin, each of which have a bedrock of granite, but the topsoils vary throughout. The topsoil is, in the end, of little import, as it will routinely change, while the subsoil will be the constant, as well as most influential, because the roots draw their principal energy from the bedrock depth.

The Backstory of Kaefferkopf
Kaefferkopf was first delimited in 1932, five years before the creation of the INAO (the branch of the French government which administers appellation--A.O.C.--regulations), and well before any other vineyard in Alsace received official recognition. These wines sold as "Kaefferkopf" could contain Gewurztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, or any combination of the five. Kaefferkopf was further recognized with its own sub-appellation (under the umbrella of A.O.C Alsace) in 1966. Kaefferkopf was offered Grand Cru status, but as legislation prohibited blended wines from Grands Crus, and blends were the principal production of Kaefferkopf, this was a non-starter for those with vines in Kaefferkopf. Kaefferkopf growers petitioned the INAO for permission to produce Grand Cru blends, using the history of the vineyard as their basis (precedence being the premise of A.O.C regulations in the first place), but their request was rejected.

INAO Offers Grand Cru Status, Growers Accept it 16 Years Later
In 1990, Kaefferkopf was recognized as a Grand Cru, but the growers continued their own rejection of this, and finally, in 2006, the blended wines of Kaefferkopf were acknowledged as Grands Crus (along with blended wines from Altenberg de Bergheim). However, the wines of Kaefferkopf are now limited to a range of proportions of only three varieties: Gewurztraminer (60%-80%), Riesling (10%-40%), and Pinot Gris (0-30%).

The Wines of Kaefferkopf
Kaefferkopf yields vin de garde, or wine that needs some time to mature. There are many single variety wines, mostly Riesling and Gewurztraminer, that are as glorious as they could be. Some of my favorites include: the Rieslings from J.B. Adam, Henri Ehrhart, Meyer-Fonné, and Sick-Dreyer; and the Gewürztraminers of Marcel Freyburger, Meyer-Fonné, Martin Schaetzel, and the cooperative of Kientzheim-Kaysersberg. The blends which made Kaefferkopf famous are by far the most captivating to me. I have only ever seen two in marketplaces west of France: J.B. Adam and Pierre Sparr. [Update 12/29/2011: I found a bottle of Maurice Schoech 2009 Kaefferkopf, which according to their website is 75-25 Gewürztraminer-Riesling. It was spectacular, exotic, honeyed without being sweet, full of ebullience AND mystery. Yeah--this one is worth seeking out!] I haven't seen a Kaefferkopf wine from Pierre Sparr in many years, so I gather they have given up their stake in the vineyard, but J.B. Adam continued to sell a Kaefferkopf blend after 1990 despite losing the Kaefferkopf A.O.C. designation (once the Grand Cru status had been extended and rejected). I tried a bottle of the 1999 J.B. Adam Kaefferkopf in November of 2009, and it was a sterling wine, radiant and pure with long flavors and a wonderful aroma of flowers and spices.

Popularity: 7% [?]

This 15ha Grand Cru is a fairly steep, isolated hill of limestone that can give one the impression of walking a vineyard in Provence, not Alsace. This is because Florimont is one of two Crus in Alsace (the other being Zinnkoepflé) that captures the kind of robust warmth needed to support Mediterranean flora, hence the name 'Florimont'--hill of flowers.

A (Relatively) New Grand Cru
Attached to the village of Ingersheim, Florimont was delimited as a Grand Cru in 1988, along with Bruderthal, as the last Grands Crus until Kaefferkopf was elevated in 2006. Florimont is still unknown internationally, despite being a distinguished source of wines for those who know about it. This is in part because of the fairly recent Grand Cru recognition, but also because there are only a few producers who make wines from the Cru, therefore, market representation (even locally) of Florimont is not good. The wines, as should be the case for any Grand Cru (though it is not always the true: how--HOW?--can the Grand Cru Schlossberg be ENTIRELY of such high quality when it covers almost 198 acres?), radiate the sort of power and mystery that only a first rate vineyard can provide.

Grape Varieties in Use in Florimont
Gewürztraminer is considered the prime variety for the vineyard, and so is the most planted variety. I have also had Riesling (extraordinary and singular) and Pinot Gris (excellent quality) from this vineyard; I understand Muscat is planted, but I have not had one.

Florimont's Best Growers
If Bruno Sorg were better known, as he deserves to be, wine lovers would flock to wines from this vineyard. Sorg is one of the great growers of the region, and from Florimont he makes fantastic Gewürztraminer and Riesling. This Riesling merits particular plaudits for combining all the majesty one should expect from a Grand Cru with a rather naughty sensuousness: it is so ripe it seems to burst on the tongue, and true to Grand Cru form, its qualitative consistency from year to year is steady. The other wine from this vineyard that comes to mind right now is the Gewürztraminer from the local cooperative of Ingersheim which usually bears a bacon-fatty, tropical fruit-tone.

Popularity: 5% [?]