Schieferkopf Riesling Lieu-Dit Fels 2014, M Chaptouier

Nice bottle age on this gorgeous Riesling where the emphasis is definitely on the side of focused and laser like minerality.

Located in the village of Bernardvillé, just a short distance from one of the Compostelle routes, this plot’s vines are planted on the only strip of blue schist in Alsace, a unique subsoil that dates back to the Precambrian (over 542 million years ago). The plot’s shallow soils (20-30 cm) lend the wines their exceptional mineral structure. The gradient of the hillside (30%), its southeast exposure and its windy microclimate give the wine from the Fels vineyard its elegant, round and taut character.

Vinification starts with a long pressing, then a static cold settling is carried out. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts. The wines from Domaine de Schieferkopf undergo full malolactic fermentation and are characterized by their late ripening terroir which enhances the complexity and round structure of our wines. The malolactic fermentation brings out the minerality from the blue schist terroir. The wine is aged for 15 months in big casks (foudres).

Since 1996, all Maison M. Chapoutier labels feature the wine information written in braille. This is a tribute to Maurice Monier de la Sizeranne, the inventor of the first abridged version of braille and founder of the Valentin Haüy association, who helped bring the blind and visually challenged out of isolation. There is even a wine that carries his name, from a plot that once belonged to his family. This is a way of giving something back to somebody who made a real contribution.