Rolly Gassmann Riesling 2021

Rolly Gassmann Riesling

Rolly Gassmann Riesling is a vibrant clear wine with green hints. An expressive nose, with notes of white and yellow flowers, and a delicate toasty note. The palate is concentrated and complex, with fresh stone fruit characters, a well-balanced acidity and a saline note on the finish.

The grapes for this wine come from parcels planted on clay, marl and limestone soils in the commune of Rorschwihr. All 21 different types of limestone known in the world can be found in the soils of this village, and the sub-soil there is similarly diverse. These soils, and the particular climate of the sites were discovered by the monks who first made wine here over 400 years ago, and today some of their methods are still used; vineyard activity is carried out based on the position of the moon and stars, with grape maturity and picking determined by the ripeness of the pips, as well as the skins. Organic and biodynamic practices are used to manage the vineyards, although they are not certified.

Vineyard

The grapes for this wine come from parcels planted on clay, marl and limestone soils in the commune of Rorschwihr. All 21 different types of limestone known in the world can be found in the soils of this village, and the sub-soil there is similarly diverse.

These soils, and the particular climate of the sites were discovered by the monks who first made wine here over 400 years ago, and today some of their methods are still used; vineyard activity is carried out based on the position of the moon and stars, with grape maturity and picking determined by the ripeness of the pips, as well as the skins. Organic and biodynamic practices are used to manage the vineyards, although they are not certified.

Producer

The vignerons of domaines Rolly and Gassmann have been diligently tending the vines of Rorschwihr and Rodern since the seventeenth century; the Rolly family since 1676 and the Gassmann family since 1611.

With the marriage of Marie-Thérèse Rolly and Louis Gassmann in 1967 the two estates were united and today the 45ha are run by their second son, Pierre, a quietly self-assured man with an evidently boundless passion for his profession.

Pierre´s greater influence at the domaine has brought about a few changes: nothing terribly dramatic, no technological revolutions, simply a more profound approach to the work in the vineyards. What is his guiding principal? Balance.

This is something of a Holy Grail for Pierre, who aims to find the perfect harmony between the leaf surface area and the number of bunches, between the biological activity of the soil and the growth of the vines.

In a well-balanced vineyard, one square metre of soil should be home to 12 to 15 different plants. To this end he has embraced whole-heartedly biodynamics, although with a more reasoned, pragmatic approach.

He espouses the use of the different biodynamic preparations and concoctions, adapting his choice of treatments to the specific conditions of the vintage.

The domaine is not however biodynamic, for two reasons. Firstly, they are technically excluded from certification as weedkillers are used to clear 20cm underneath the vines in the those vineyards with a high proportion of Liassic marl (a heavy form of clay).

To achieve the same effect manually would involve employing an extra four workers – a luxury which the Gassmanns cannot afford.

The second reason is that he is not looking for a symbol to adorn his bottles. He is biodynamic by conviction but does not believe that this should be a selling point. thewinesociety.com

Rolly Gassmann Riesling - Hay Wines