Sophie Schaal Pinot Noir 2023

The Schaals (Sophie and husband Julien) work with local Alsatian Olivier Biecher, whose family has owned vineyards in Alsace since the 1760s; with his help they source organically-farmed grapes from some of the top sites in Alsace. Their deep underground cellar is at the foot of the Haut-Koenigsbourg castle, in the village of Saint-Hippolyte.

This Pinot Noir is a blend of two old-vine, organic vineyards that highlight the combination of soil types: pink sandstone, blue schist, limestone, granite, gypsum, and volcanic rocks. The fruit is handpicked, carefully sorted, and naturally fermented before the aging French oak barrel for 10 months. Bottled unfined. It’s silky and darkly fruity, a bit of vanilla on the nose follows through on the palate of cherries & blackberries. 

Long Alsace story: Alsace is located in north-eastern France, on the border with Germany. Despite its northerly location it has a warm, sunny, and unusually dry climate due to the protection of the Vosges Mountains to the west. Ninety percent of the wine produced in the region is white, almost always from single grapes, and usually unoaked. The wines here reflect the frequent changes over recent centuries in which control of Alsace has passed between Germany and France. The German influence can be seen in the importance of single varietal wines made from aromatic grapes (Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Muscat), alongside less aromatic varieties such as Pinot Gris. Up until the Second World War, the region was a source of inexpensive wine made from grapes grown on flatter land. When Alsace returned to France in 1945, it adopted the AOC system and began replanting on the hillside slopes that had a reputation for high quality wines in the past, but had been neglected in the years that the region floated in limbo between two countries.

Alsace’s northerly latitude results in a long growing season, and its inland location offers a continental climate with cold winters and warm, sunny summers. Summer droughts can be an issue (irrigation is not permitted in the AOC), as westerly winds carry the rainclouds, along with much of their rain, to the western side of the mountain range. The rainfall they do get (approx 600mm total) is spread throughout the year with the wettest month tending to be August, and the driest during harvest, in September and October. The high sunshine hours help to ripen the grapes so far north, as does the warm, drying influence of the Föhn wind, which also reduces the incidence of fungal diseases. 

The foothills of the Vosges mountains provide many diverse vineyard sites at a range of altitudes, with the best vineyards situated at 200-250m above sea level, and a few at up to 450m. Most tend to face south, south-east, or south-west to maximize sunlight. High-elevation vineyards tend to have less fertile and better draining soils, and slower growth, which ultimately leads to better fruit quality and better wine.