St Hyppolyte Rouge 2020 - Marcel Deiss

St Hyppolyte Rouge 2020 - Marcel Deiss

Cru d'Alsace

A wine out of the ordinary

At the top of the small pass separating Bergheim from Ribeauvillé, the Huebuhl (literally, the early and wet place), a slight depression sloping gently towards the south, joining the Gruenspiel to the west and the Rotenberg to the east, produces expressive wines: an envelope of almonds, zest, fatness and toast, a deep acidic structure marked by cold lacustrine clays and bright, windy autumns which channel and contain the Pourriture Noble.

LIQUEUR, SHARP AND GRAPHITE-LIKE COLDNESS

Tasted in the dark:

Mental landscape: dark, toasty, cigar. Wide open space, but in darkness. The wine seems to seek the light, to come out of the cellar, to live. Finally bright red fruits appear, rich and ripe.

Mouthfeel: sumptuous, smooth, fat, thick, very liquorous, then cold and peppery. After a few moments, the acidity deepens again, producing a pungent, minty, very intense, rough, refreshing, slatey salivation.

The port or energy: a great sweet wine, but full of restraint, of pointed and graphite-like coldness. The purity of the palate, in exact correspondence with the nose, is extraordinary and testifies for this vintage without botrytis, where however the Huebuhl made a wine at the level of 2005 or 2010. With an acidic and serous return, digestible, out of the ordinary: would this be a great Protestant sweet wine? Will need time, respect and patience. Will be, in a while, that bottle that people who say they only like dry wines drink with happiness...

Suggested pairing: Foie gras. Lamb tagine with dried fruits. Blue-veined cheeses. Chocolate cake, caramel cake, apricot and almond tart, tarte tatin.

Grape varieties: Planting of the whole Pinot family and Muscat

Type : Soft, fat and tonic wine.

Cellaring: Can be served now, with an ageing potential of 25 years.

Terroir : Late and humid terroir, marked by cold lacustrine clays which channel the Pourriture Noble.

Service : 10 to 12 degrees.