Riesling 'Am Zelle' Marc Tempè 2019

Riesling 'Am Zelle' is part of the precious range of labels that Marc Tempé dedicates to the emblematic varieties vinified pure in his Alsace region: a concentrate of tension and structure, where terroir is the only intelligible expression.
Marc Tempé creates his 'Am Zelle' Riesling cuvée by vinifying in purity the grapes that come from the hills around Zellenberg, the village where the winery is based and where some of its numerous plots are located. The terroir of this area is rich and complex, characterised by soils of an essentially clayey and marly matrix: the underlying soils, on the other hand, are the result of a composition of dark grey schistose marls and fine veins of white limestone, to which blocks of carbonate and iron are mixed. The vineyard is managed according to biodynamic principles, which have been fully implemented since 1996, and stands at altitudes between 200 and 300 metres above sea level, oriented essentially towards the east. The slopes of the Vosges chain create a natural shelter along the western part of the country, rolling gently eastwards towards the open Rhine plain: just one kilometre further south are the soils of Riquewihr, one of the wine capitals of the Upper Rhine, while the capital Colmar is only slightly further away. The low yields of manual harvesting allow healthy, ripe grapes to be brought to the cellar, gently and slowly crushed in the pneumatic press: the must is then clarified by static decantation for 24 hours. Fermentation is spontaneous, using only indigenous yeasts, while maturation takes place in old oak foudres and requires a period of 24 months. Bottling does not involve any further manipulation other than a barely noticeable dose of sulphur dioxide.
Marc Tempé's 'Am Zelle' Riesling already reveals a powerful mineral tension on the nose: intense notes of flint are layered with purely brackish hints, while citrus and citric nuances emerge in the background, amalgamated with earthy memories of humus. The texture is dense on the palate, a blend of ripe elements and puffs of hydrocarbon that converge in a persistent finish of fine salinity.