Pinot Gris – Eugene Klipfel
Pinot Gris is the French name for Pinot Grigio and in Alsace produces a fuller wine than ‘run of the mill’ Italians.
Pinot Gris, one of the ‘noble grapes’ of Alsace is less stylistically defined than Riesling or Gewurztraminer. It is generally a full-bodied, round and balanced wine with moderate acidity. Pinot Gris was once a dry wine, but many winemakers now tend to bottle with some residual sugar.
Frederick Blanck, speaking for a new generation of winemakers, put the Pinot Gris situation into perspective. “Nobody really knows yet how great Pinot Gris can be. It is a tough variety to grow; with a big crop you get good fruitiness and high acidity, and with a small crop you get great complexity but high alcohol…. In the future, we and many others in Alsace will be making more dry-style Pinot Gris.”
Klipfel’s vineyards are located at the foot of the Vosges mountains, between Marlenheim and Thann.
Vinification is by traditional wine-making: grapes are harvested at perfect ripeness, one or two weeks of alcoholic fermentation under controlled temperatures. The wine is then racked, filtered and bottled.
Pale yellow with green glints, this Pinot Gris is a basket of fresh fruit: from yellow peach to raspberry. Spicy, it expresses its richness on lightly roasted notes with a delicately honeyed and fresh finish.
It is the perfect companion for cold buffets, asparagus, salads and fish.
About the Producer
Eugene Klipfel
Martin Klipfel created the Klipfel Domain in 1824, which is now a family estate covering 40Ha. In 1830 he acquired the prestigious Clos Zisser, part of their 7.2Ha of Grand Cru vineyards.
His son Eugène and grandson Louis Klipfel bought significant growth to the family business. They were amongst the first to start producing «Vendanges Tardives» (late harvests) and «Sélection de Grains Nobles» (selection of noble grapes) as early as 1921 on the Clos Zisser and on the Kirchberg of Barr, more than sixty years before the official appellation of these two vineyards.
Further developed by André Lorentz (former member of the Académie du vin de France, the renowned Academy of French wines), the family business is today the largest merchant house in Barr and run by Jean-Louis Lorentz-Klipfel and his daughters Anne-Sophie, Marie and Amélie.
