Domaine Trapet : Riesling Schlossberg Grand Cru 2019

Tasting notes and serving suggestions for the Riesling Schlossberg Grand Cru 2019 from Domaine Trapet

Tasting

Color

The color displays a pale golden-yellow hue with silvery highlights.

Nose

The nose reveals a captivating freshness paired with remarkable mineral depth. It opens with aromas of lime, sweet apricots, wild mint and ginger, complemented by floral notes and candied lemon peel. The mineral dimension comes through with smoky, stony characteristics reminiscent of crushed slate. Subtle petrol nuances meld with opulent flowers and candied citrus.

Palate

On the palate, the wine is concentrated, intense and juicy, while retaining perfect elegance and balance. The attack is precise and razor-sharp, carried by a remarkable acidity perfectly integrated with the fruit. The mid-palate offers considerable richness and texture, with a sense of fluidity. Flavors of lemon and thyme lead, alongside notes of white peach, apricot, honey and pear. Delicate, finely textured tannins add further complexity. The finish is long and vibrant, marked by salinity, bright acidity and fine tannins.

Food and wine pairings

This riesling is an ideal match for choucroute, a baeckeoffe moistened with riesling, or coq au riesling. It also pairs beautifully with rich, fleshy oily fish, Japanese pumpkin ravioli, lemon risotto with octopus, or a veal fillet with basil and blood orange sauce.

Serving and cellaring

The Riesling Schlossberg Grand Cru 2019 is best served at 11-12°C. Young bottles can benefit from aeration in a decanter or in large glasses. This wine can be enjoyed from around 2025, with an optimal drinking window from around 2026 to 2033, and will continue to evolve favorably through around 2037.

An Alsace Grand Cru riesling with a pronounced mineral character and outstanding aging potential

The estate

Domaine Trapet embodies a family winemaking history spanning seven generations. Founded around 1870 in Bourgogne by Louis Trapet, the estate expanded into Alsace in 2002 when Andrée Trapet, an Alsatian winegrower, took over the family vineyards in Riquewihr. Married to Jean-Louis Trapet, she converted the entire Alsatian estate to biodynamic farming, earning Demeter certification. Today, Jean-Louis runs the Bourgogne estate, while Andrée, alongside her sons Pierre and Louis, manages the 12 Alsatian hectares spread across Riquewihr and Beblenheim, including four prestigious Grands Crus. Domaine Trapet stands out for its pioneering commitment to biodynamic viticulture and its minimalist winemaking philosophy aimed at the pure expression of terroirs.

The vineyard

Schlossberg is the oldest and largest Grand Cru in Alsace, with a reputation dating back to the 15th century. This vineyard stretches across steep, due south-facing slopes between 265 and 380 meters in elevation above Riquewihr. The medieval terraces, supported by more than a kilometer of dry-stone walls, bear witness to centuries of vineyard work. The soil is made up of decomposed migmatite and biotite granite, producing soils rich in coarse granitic sand, with low water retention yet exceptionally high in potassium, magnesium, fluorine and phosphorus. These slightly acidic, gravelly soils give the wines their distinctive mineral tension. Domaine Trapet’s vines, farmed biodynamically, are worked exclusively by hand due to the steepness of the terrain.

The vintage

The 2019 vintage in Alsace proved to be very high quality. Spring saw April frosts that concentrated production on the most vigorous buds. The rest of the season unfolded under favorable conditions, with generous sunshine and warmth allowing the grapes to ripen with concentration while preserving essential freshness. The warm, steady ripening conditions produced wines with concentrated fruit while maintaining the hallmark acidity of great Alsatian rieslings.

Winemaking and aging

The Riesling Schlossberg Grand Cru 2019 is made according to biodynamic principles with minimal intervention. Fermentations take place with indigenous yeasts, without the addition of selected cultures. Sulfur use is reduced to the strict minimum required for the wine’s stability. Aging is carried out in large oak foudres rather than new barrels, preserving aromatic purity and the expression of terroir without pronounced oak influence. The wine is neither filtered nor fined, respecting its natural evolution.

Grape variety

100% riesling