Domaine Rolly Gassmann Riesling Cuvée Yves Vendanges Tardives 2020
£40.25
The wine
Expressive, with ripe yellow fruits, floral and citrus notes melding into pastry, candied orange, honey and botrytis.
Vendanges Tardives means late harvest, a legally defined Alsace category with minimum sugar levels at picking, and the wines are sweet without being dessert-only. Botrytis is welcome but not required. Rolly Gassmann farm in Rorschwihr in northern Alsace, on clay, marl and limestone, and have been in the same family since 1611. Their house style keeps noticeable residual sugar even in the dry-labelled wines, which is unusual in modern Alsace and deliberate.
The producer
Domaine Rolly Gassmann
View all Domaine Rolly Gassmann winesIn the village of Rorschwihr, in the heart of Alsace, Domaine Rolly Gassmann is a legendary name. The family has grown vines here since the seventeenth century, tending an extraordinary patchwork of lieux-dits. Few estates express Alsace terroir with such precision.
Rolly Gassmann farms biodynamically across dozens of parcels, each vinified separately to capture its character. The house style is famously rich and aromatic, with a touch of natural sweetness balanced by vibrant acidity. These are wines of remarkable depth and length.
The range spans every great Alsace grape, from crisp Sylvaner and Riesling to opulent Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris, including rare old vintages and late-harvest treasures. Each speaks clearly of its village and soil.
To pour a Rolly Gassmann wine is to taste Alsace at its most profound. Aromatic, complex, and gloriously ageworthy, these are wines for those who love true individuality.
