The late-ripening and dry nature of this terroir as well as the shadow provided by the Vosges mountain range gives a slow and healthy grape maturing cycle. This bestows wines with wonderful aromatic purity (not much botrytis) as well as a great complexity (linked to slow maturing cycle).
The deep soil provides regular water and mineral supplies, guaranteeing homogeneous maturing. Therefore, there are very few physiological problems with the vines due to heat waves or water stress.
The wines are never tannic or dried out. The calcium-magnesic soil is naturally poor in potash. This results in less tartaric acid salification, giving wines a powerful acidic structure. Rosacker wines therefore stand out with their highly ripe, very «tartaric» acidity.
In short, Rosacker wines have a pureness and complexity that's free of any bitterness or grilled aromas. Riesling is dry, intense and concentrated. It has ripe, but not overripe aromas. The palate generally reveals a beautiful salinity which reinforces the wine exuberance. As for Gewurztraminer, mildly rich, but rarely sweet. It associates the natural richness of the grape variety to the terroir-specific freshness. Therefore, Gewurztraminer from Rosacker is never heavy. Pinot Gris can be dry or sweet but even here, the acidity and salinity guarantee the balance.

This terroir has one of the strongest personalities in the wine-growing area.
It’s a lieu-dit which gives full-bodied touches to the wine with its exuberance and structure.
The finish of this Grand Cru is subtle and distinct, giving these singular wines an almost never-ending length!
Riesling offers a variety of plant and refined notes such as bay, honeysuckle and acacia. Pinot Gris evolves onto fresh white fruits whereas Gewurztraminer gives fragrant and captivating notes of spring flowers.
Romain Ilitis
Best Sommelier of France, 2012 and Meilleur Ouvrier de France, 2015 (in the Sommelier category)
