Winemaker Notes
The Feudal vineyard, top growth, complex wine from ancient Keuper marl soils. Made from the co-plantation of Alsace's noble grapes, this wine reflects the project that is the south-facing Burg terroir, ancient seigneurial vineyard of Chateau Reichenberg. Its dark soils and sheltered climate give birth each year to a great white wine, extraordinary iodized, deep and profound, complex and age-worthy.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Burg "Le vignoble féodal" is a sweet, rich and slightly bitter blend that opens with a generous, complex and concentrated nose of cinnamon, grapefruit and delicate botrytis aromas. Full-bodied, rich and savory as well as saline, this is a dense and quite baroque, opulent yet also complex and concentrated Riesling-driven co-plantation with lots of power but also potential. Quite closed at this stage but with fine and elegant acidity intertwined with lemon aromas including candied lemons, this is a still pretty mighty and sugary white with 14% stated alcohol. It will rejuvenate with bottle age, though, says Mathieu Deiss. Tasted at the domaine in April 2024. There was no 2021 Burg produced.
Rating: 95+ -
Vinous
The 2020 Burg is a field blend from Triassic marl on gypsum, facing south but cooler because it is in the narrow Bergenbach valley, a late-ripening site. Displays notions of ripe Mirabelle, both tart and sun-ripened, sweet and almost luscious with a subtle summer blossom aspect. The palate is cool, round and radiates with ripe Mirabelle fruit, with just a gentle sense of lemon, yet fresh and textured. This wine strikes a most serene balance and, with 35 g/L of sweetness, finishes off-dry. (Off-dry)
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
Small but mighty, this picturesque region in northeastern France is renowned for its white wines produced by passionate families whose winemaking roots span generations and even centuries. Nestled between the Vosges Mountains and the Rhine River, Alsace benefits from a sunny, dry climate and a long growing season. It is one of the most geologically diverse regions in the world — one of the many reasons why Alsace rocks!
Alsace wines include dry, mineral-driven Riesling, earthy Pinot Gris, refreshing Pinot Blanc, exuberant Gewurztraminer, elegant Pinot Noir, and more. From traditional-method sparkling wines to easy-drinking AOC Alsace, to complex Grand Cru bottlings from 51 distinct sites, and rich, late harvest wines, Alsace produces a wine for every occasion. Most Alsace wines are single-varietal bottlings and are labeled with the grape name. The region is also one of the greenest wine-producing areas in France, with 36% of its vineyard area certified organic.
Riesling, the region’s calling card, is dry, fresh and floral in its youth, developing complex mineral and flint character with age. Gewurztraminer is known for its signature spice and lychee aromatics. Pinot Gris is prized for its combination of crisp acidity and savory spice as well as ripe stone fruit flavors. Pinot Blanc is an affable food partner or porch sipper. Pinot Noir, the only red grape in AOC Alsace, is now authorized in three Grand Cru areas and is also used for Crémant d’Alsace sparkling rosé. Any bottle you choose will offer deliciousness, pleasure and value that is unprecedented in other wine regions.