History
The Sélections de Grains Nobles (an appellation since 1984) are wines, from old vines, made
from over-ripe grapes picked several weeks after harvesting. More concentrated than the
Vendanges Tardives, they are fine sweet wines, which keep a freshness and a natural acidity
in a unique flavor for the world. Cuvée Anne is a rare, mythical wine, which is still hugely
popular.
Location
Our Gewurztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles comes solely from our Grand Cru Kessler
plot, which is on a hillside facing east, south-east and whose reddish sandy-clay soils lie on a
bedrock of Vosges sandstone.
Wine-making
Cuvée Anne comes from a prime choice of « Selection de Grains Nobles » wines produced in
2017. Work was monitored right from winter pruning to harvesting. Handpicked on steep
slopes, the grapes were the carried in crates (to avoid damaging the berries) to our winery
and then slowly pressed. After letting the must settle statically for about 3 days, the perfectly
clear juice was put in tuns (where the temperature was rigorously controlled) to ferment.
Fermentation lasted between 1 and 3 months until spring. The wines were stabilized, filtered
and then bottled. They were then stocked for several years before being labeled and
distributed throughout the world.
Gastronomy
It can be appreciated for itself but is also perfect with a blue-veined cheese, such as the
Roquefort, or, at the end of the meal, with a citrus fruit soup with infused spices, a creamy
mango mousse or a coconut and pineapple pie. Serving temperature: 11°C.
Tasting
The robe is strong golden yellow with light green reflections, of good intensity. The disk is
bright, limpid and transparent. The wine shows a radiant youth.
The nose is marked, pleasant and intense. It is dominated by overripe fruity (peach, quince,
apricot), exotic (banana, mango, passionfruit) scents. The airing enhances the previous
scents and reveals flowers (rose), citrus fruits (candied lemon), spices (ginger). The nose
shows plenty of pure, distinguished and heady scents. The quality of the botrytis subjugates,
as usual, this vintage.
The onset in the mouth is dense, silky and liquorish. The alcohol support is full-bodied. The
wine evolves on a medium with a frank liveliness, marked by a sparkling note. The range of
flavours is in line with that of the nose, still dominated by candied fruits, citrus fruits, lemon,
apricot, quince, peach, banana, mango, flowers, rose, spices, saffron, ginger and a noble ash
touch. We can taste a slight but tasty bitterness. The finish has a long length, 14-15 caudalies,
and a frank and persistent liveliness. Sublime balance that is concentrated, aerial and silky.
Magnified by a major noble not and a never-ending persistence, it is a legendary sweet wine.
Comentary of M. Pascal Leonetti
“Meilleur Sommelier de France 2006”
