From €22.50, £24, $29.99
As members who read my article this week on Young(ish) Riesling star performers around the world may have noted, I was hugely impressed by the Alsace Rieslings of Julien and (Burgundian) Sophie Schaal, pictured above, tasted recently. And the price seems ridiculously low for beautifully made, crystalline wines made from the same, limestone-dominated site as the world-famous Clos Ste Hune, which sells for about 10 times the price of this wine. We have six reviews of various vintages of the Schaals’ Rosacker; none scores less than 17.
I had forgotten that Julia chose the 2016 as her wine of the week four years ago. Wise woman. You can read much of the background to this unusual enterprise (working with only grands crus in Alsace and another winemaking operation, in partnership with Paul Cluver of Elgin, in South Africa) in Julia’s article. Julien assures me that nothing substantial has changed since Julia wrote her account in 2018 but adds, ‘The big change will happen next year for the vintage 2023. We recently bought a plot with a farm shed that we are busy converting to our new winery. It is located in Hunawihr, right on the foothill of the Grand Cru Rosacker. It is a lot of work and energy but it is super-exciting.’
Take a look at the shed before the Schaals got to work on this Google Maps image. They were previously working out of rented premises in St-Hippolyte.
I can only imagine how much flavour they will coax out of their grapes in a new, custom-designed winery when each of their grands crus is already a paragon of terroir expression. They also produce a Kastelberg, Sommerberg, Schoenenbourg, Rangen, Altenberg and Brand, with their Schoenenbourg (also an extremely good wine) being their best-distributed wine. Rangen always has very limited production and distribution, and yields have been especially low there in the last two years. The dominant soil type of each grand cru is clearly spelt out on the front label.
Currently the 2020 vintage is the one offered by their US importer Distinctive Domaines of North Carolina, while the 2021 is easiest to find in the UK where the importer is ABS.
Julien’s notes on these two vintages: ‘The 2020 vintage was warm with an early picking while 2021 was a normal, classic vintage in Alsace (harvest in October). The style is more classic with a stronger acidity. The 2021 vintage was more challenging for the organic vineyards overall but the Rosacker has really nicely resisted the climate conditions.’
My tasting notes are below. (Many of the Rieslings I review in Young(ish) Riesling star performers I was tasting as possible candidates for an international Riesling tasting I am moderating at next year’s Masters of Wine International Symposium in Wiesbaden, Germany, at the end of June.)
Julien Schaal, Rosacker Calcaire Riesling 2020 Alsace Grand Cru 13%
Full bottle 1,370 g. Certified organic. Limestone-dominated site (fossil ammonites) almost entirely dolomitised. Various coloured marls and compact dolomites. The soils are rich in nutrients with calcium and magnesium, clayey and heavy in texture, with limestone and dolomite pebbles. This 40-year-old vineyard is just north of Hunawihr, a small village situated between Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr, at an elevation between 260 and 330 metres and exposed east-south-east. Clos Ste Hune is within Rosacker.
Nuanced, exciting nose that already has the merest hint of 'petrol' aromas but great delicacy on the palate. Very dramatic and winning with a sleek, rather beautiful texture and massive underlying power. Pungent, very satisfying finish.
17.5/20 Drink 2022–33
Julien Schaal, Rosacker Calcaire Riesling 2021 Alsace Grand Cru 13%
Full bottle 1,307 g. Certified organic.
Very intense but restrained nose. Power that seems to come from the site rather than alcohol, but I think it will still be too youthful to show at the MW Symposium in July 2023. Massive acidity dominates the palate at present but the finish is persistent and I'm sure it will blossom into something very special. Rather phenolic on the finish still. Hold, don't drink!
17++/20 Drink 2024–38
These wines are really something special and I strongly advise Riesling fans, of which I know there are many among visitors to JancisRobinson.com, to lay in some Schaal wines before the prices rise.
The 2020 is available at MacArthur Beverages in Washington DC and also from Vinaris in Madrid, while the 2021 is offered by Vinatis (note change of consonant) in Spain, and Vinatis’ operations in Portugal, Germany and France, as well as Vino Gusto and Handford Wines in the UK.
See also the recent article Is the future of Alsace red?
