About this WINE
Domaine Andre Ostertag
Today one of Alsace’s most famous and respected names, André Ostertag could hardly be called a run-of-the-mill Alsace winemaker. He first made a name for himself in 1983, when his Muenchberg Pinot Gris was denied the honour of being labelled as such – having dared to age it in oak, contrary to local tradition. Ever since then, the estate has been pushing the appellation’s boundaries, constantly experimenting and innovating to coax the ultimate expression of terroir from each of its sites.
Ostertags first put down their winemaking roots in Alsace with three hectares in 1966, with André the second generation to make the wines. He studied in Beaune where he struck up a long and lasting friendship with Dominique Lafon of Meursault before returning to Epfig.
The estate has been farmed biodynamically since 1997, with a focus on low yields and ensuring maximum ripeness from every plot. While the estate’s wines tend to have a higher-than-average level of alcohol, it is always impeccably integrated and almost unnoticeable.
As of the 2017 vintage, André has stepped aside – handing the winemaking reins over to his son Arthur. Arthur has travelled the world to learn his trade and worked with his father for several vintages before stepping up to the plate.
The estate’s Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir is aged in oak barrels, in the style of Burgundy, and on their lees. The Sylvaner, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, and all the Rieslings are aged in 100% stainless steel. All the wines are remarkable and amazingly age-worthy.
Gewürztraminer
Gewürztraminer is a high quality white grape which produces classic varietal wines in the Alsace region of France.
It is the second most widely planted grape in Alsace and the most widely planted in the Haut-Rhin where it is particularly well suited to the clay-rich soils found in the Vosges foothills. It is normally fermented dry and produces golden, medium to full-bodied wine with heady aromas of lychees, rose petals and white peaches.
It attains naturally high sugar levels far in excess of Riesling and this makes it ideal for sweet, late harvest wines. These can be unctuously sweet and luscious and the best can last for decades. Rieffel, Hugel and Zind Humbrecht consistently produce the finest Gewürztraminer wines in Alsace.
It is also planted in Germany (specifically in the Rheinpfalz and Baden regions), Austria, the Alto Adige in Italy and to a lesser extent in Australia, New Zealand and California. Gerwürz means spice in German, although this pink-skinned grape tends to produce exotically perfumed rather than spice laden wines.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
Gewurztraminer d’Epfig is part of Andre’s ‘Vins de Fruits’ range that brings out the pure fruited expression of the grapes. This is a blend of several parcels round Andre’s village of Epfig. It brings instant pleasure and a smile, for the rose petal aromas are so lifting, so pure and delightful; a wonderful expression of Andre’s sensitive handling of fruit (and of biodynamic viticulture perhaps). It recalls the Edwardian scented soaps of Floris, Jermyn Street,, while the medium bodied palate is as clear as a mountain burn, so juicy, yet dry even at 35 grams of residual sugar – the biodynamics accentuating the minerality and acidity of the wine to balance out the natural grape sweetness, and rendering them incredibly drinkable.
David Berry Green
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