Now run by the 6th and 7th generations, Domaines Schlumberger was founded in 1810 by Nicolas Schlumberger, who established vineyards on the renowned slopes above the town of Guebwiller. These vineyard sites have a history of viticulture, having been planted since 207AD. Through successive generations the holding has grown to be one of France’s largest and finest domaines.
Domaines Schlumberger now own 130 hectares of vineyards, 70 of which are Grand Cru. The classic range is named after the Abbot Princes of Murbach, who preserved the vineyards for over a 1,000 years. The grapes come from the Grands Crus vineyards Saering and Spiegel and as the localities of Bux and Bollenberg. It is often considered as corresponding to a Bordeaux “2nd” wine.
The grapes are hand-picked and whole bunches are pressed. There is static settling of the lees. The wine is fermented in temperature controlled tuns at cool temperatures to nurture the aromatic compounds in the grapes. After fermentation, the juice remains in stainless steel tanks on its lees for a further seven months before bottling. After bottling, the wine spends a further month in bottle before release.
“Managing to escape the hail and frost that beset other French regions meant that Alsace had good yields in 2016. However, during a wet June mildew was a potential problem, but the rest of summer was warm and dry. Harvest conditions were good, and the resultant wines are more elegant and classic in profile than the richer 2015s.“, jancisrobinson.com
Pale golden yellow with notes of citrus and yellow fruit. On the palate, this wine is crisp but with good weight, it is nicely balanced and finishes dry.
Serve with charcuterie, raw fish, delicate starters, scallops or fresh salads
Serve at 12°C
Wine Enthusiast: 90 POINTS
April 1, 2019, Anne Krebiehl
“Faint but highly aromatic notes of Williams pear tease on the shy nose. Slender but pleasantly textured, the dry palate gives full rein to the mellow pear flavors while staying trim. The finish is dry, concentrated and long.”
AOC Alsace
70% Pinot Blanc
30% Auxerrois
Natural Cork
13.5 %
1.8 g/l
3.9 g/l
Yes
No