Domaine Paul Blanck & Fils
It’s getting on for 200 years since the family established a wine business in Kientzheim. For the past 30 years, cousins Frédéric and Philippe Blanck have been in control, placing a sharp focus on the vines and the soil they grow in. The domaine has increased its holdings from 24 to 36 hectares, with five grands crus accounting for more than a third. Sometimes the brilliance of Alsace – its terroir and the spice, minerals, freshness and sweet fruit it delivers – gets overlooked by the wine-drinking world. There’s little chance of that happening with the Blancks around, and we’re very happy to be the ones to help them share it.
Winemaking
This wine sits in a range the Blancks call "Les Classiques". These are easy, accessible wines made from the traditional Alsatian grape varieties. They are fruit-driven, aromatic, dry wines that give the best of themselves within the first five to seven years, if you wish to retain their primary fruit-driven personality. The screw cap closure enhances this profile and helps the wines keep both freshness and liveliness far longer. They generally come from light soils with sand and gravel as well as sandstone or clay.
Tasting Notes
Fruit for the Blanck Pinot Blanc d’Alsace was sourced from gravel, sand and south-facing clay and limestone vineyards. It was gently whole-bunch pressed before spontaneous alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel. It shows aromas of flowers, peach and apricot pits, lemon and grapefruit peel. A fresh and balanced young wine.
Review
Bright golden-tinged yellow. Sweet spices, butter and ripe pear on the nose. Then creamy in texture, offering gently honeyed and spice nuances to the ripe orchard fruit flavors. Finishes quite rich and long; this is surprisingly lively for a wine with 40 percent Auxerrois, which tends to give honeyed, luscious wines not especially characterized by lip-smacking acidity (the other 60 percent of the blend is Pinot Blanc).
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