WTN: Disappointing Alsace Grand Cru

2004 Marc Kreydenweiss, Pinot Gris, Moenchberg, Grand Cru, Alsace, France, $38, 300 cases. Strawberry, citrus and pear aromas follow through on the palate as well. While intense and lush, it seems cloying due to low acidity; 85/84.

Don't know the Kreydenweiss Munchberg very well but is this one of those cases in Alsace where vines that should not be included in a Grand Cru designation made it in nonetheless?

Chicken and egg -- is the winemaker not doing justice to the grapes?

"Moenchberg vineyard covers a gently sloping hillside, with southeastern exposure, at an altitude between 230 and 260 metres. It lies entirely on Quaternary glacial scree, more or less clayey, covering the hill made of Tertiary limey Graben border conglomerate. The soil texture is very fine, clayey or silty, sometimes calcareous near the crest. Crescent-shaped, the hillside slopes towards the south, being sheltered from the wind. The vines enjoy maximum sunshine in a dry and very warm environment which makes an ideal microclimate."

I just generally find the Alsace GC designations useless. Seems like just about any slope with a name was called Grand Cru.

I just generally find the Alsace GC designations useless.

The folks at Brand, Geisberg, Goldert, Hengst, Rangen, Schoenenberg, Sommerberg, etc. might disagree with you. Granted, there are 50 Grand Cru vineyards in Alsace, which is just about the same number of second through fifth growths of Bordeaux. Are there designated growths that do not deserve to be there? I'm sure you could make a case for that.

I'll admit to no firsthand knowledge of Kreydenweiss' plots which was why I asked the question. It seems Moenchburg is roughly 12 hectares, which is not enormously sized, but not tiny either..

Bordeaux is a bad comparison, as in Alsace it's the vineyards not the estates being classified. It's more like Burgundy, where multiple producers (of varying degrees of competency and varied style) produce from most vineyards.

In the right hands, vineyards like Brand, Goldert, and Hengst are identifiably distinctive, yet I don't know anyone who feels they have a grip on the identifiable characteristics of the vast majority of the "Grand Crus" in Alsace.

Sure there are Grand Crus in Burgundy (Corton, Mazoyeres) that don't rise to the heights of the best ( La Tache, Romanee-Conti, Bonnes Mares, RSV.Musigny, Richebourg, Chambertin/Chamb Clos de Beze, etc). But even in those vineyards there is a clear history of identifiable terroir, clearly defined limits to the vineyards (not always the case in Alsace), etc. No Burgundy producer opposes the system, yet many of the top producers in Alsace refuse to use the GC designations.

While most of the vineyards you list mean something to me, the GC designation alone means very little.

PS: I don't object to the idea of Brand, Goldert, Rosacker, and Sommenbergs being given a designation like GC, but I'd like to hear convincing arguments why Mambourg, Marckrain, Ollwiller, Steinert , Vorbourg, Zinnkoepfle, Frankstein , Praelatenberg, Steinklotz , Florimont , Gloeckelberg, Zotzenberg , etc etc are accorded same status. I'm certainly no Alsace expert, but none of those mean anything to me.

Of course, your disappointment might be because you drank WAAAAY too early:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m ... i_55831237

" The first 25 Grand Cru vineyards were named in 1983 and more have since been added in the 1990s, bringing the current total number of Grand Cru vineyards to 50. The INAO (Institut National des Appellations d'Origine) monitors and protects Alsace Grand Cru production with legislation and mandatory technical testing and tasting for Grand Cru approval. The wine must come from a single Grand Cru vineyard and be of a single vintage made from Riesling, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, or Pinot gris. Some Grand Cru sites only permit a specific varietal to be planted.

In addition, minimum sugar levels are higher than for basic Alsace wine. The minimum natural alcohol content is 10% for Riesling and Muscat and 12% for Gewurztraminer and Pinot gris. Grand Cru yields are lower than for basic Alsace wines, allowing a maximum of 70 hl/ha (4 tons/acre), a level which may be lowered in the future. Grand-Cru labels include the AOC Alsace Grand Cru designation, along with the qualifying Grand Cru vineyard name, the grape variety, and the vintage. In general, Alsace wines are meant to be consumed young, from half a year to four years after their harvest. Alsace Grand Cru wines, however, are advised to be aged for 510 years." You obviously drank 507 years too early.

You obviously drank 507 years too early.

Maybe we better ask Tom Hill about some of those wines...

[James Roscoe]

You obviously drank 507 years too early.

Maybe we better ask Tom Hill about some of those wines...

Is Tom older than Lou? Wow! I am impressed.

Bordeaux is a bad comparison, as in Alsace it's the vineyards not the estates being classified.

I'm not trying to compare houses versus vineyards. I'm pointing out that any rating system comes up short. I'm sure some of the GC vineyards may be overrated, especially in the Bas-Rhin. I know that many Bordeaux growths are overrated and several are underrated.