Domaine Schoffit 'Clos Saint-Théoblad' Riesling Grand Cru Rangen de Thann 2019

White Wine. Alsace, France. Sustainable. 100% Riesling. "I will never forget my first visit to Alsace in the second half of the1980s and seeing the beautiful, steep, south-facing slope of the Rangen de Thann vineyard. At that time, I was convinced that Rangen and Clos Ste. Hune were the two greatest vineyards in Alsace, but these beautiful volcanic soils are also one of the warmest plots in the entire region, and as global warming has shaken the planet to its core, Rangen has had to grapple with climactic challenges that never existed in the decades of the 1970s and 1980s, which were the vintages that informed my love for this terroir. The impact of climate change is evident in the beautiful 2019 Rangen from the Schoffit family, as this wine comes in 14.3 percent octane in this vintage. However, despite its ripeness level, the wine remains beautifully precise on the nose, offering up scents of fresh lime, pink grapefruit, crystalline minerality, Rangen’s classic, slightly resinous note of fresh rosemary, citrus blossoms and a topnote of lime peel. On the palate the wine is deep, fullbodied and shows a beautiful core of fruit, with excellent mineral drive and cut, vibrant acids and a long, complex and very well balanced finish. This carries its alcohol beautifully and will age long and gracefully, and I have to say that I am happier to see this a bit out of my comfort zone for octane, rather than trying to manage a lot of residual sugar by stopping the fermentation earlier. Fine juice. 2025-2055." -93 Points, John Gilman, View From the Cellar.