Riesling Kappelweg Rorschwihr
⏳ Drinking Window
2012 - 2025
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Choucroute garnie, roasted pork with apples, mature Comté cheese
✨ Technical Specifications
The Riesling Kappelweg from Domaine Rolly Gassmann is a profound expression of one of Rorschwihr's most revered historic terroirs. The name 'Kappelweg' translates to 'chapel path,' evoking images of medieval pilgrims walking the ancient paths winding through these hillside vineyards. The soils here are a complex mix of heavy marl and limestone, which retains moisture and allows the Riesling grapes to undergo a slow, extended ripening period. Rolly Gassmann's traditional approach involves harvesting the grapes at peak maturity—often with a touch of noble rot—followed by a slow fermentation using indigenous yeasts. The wine is then aged in large, neutral wooden foudres and held in the estate's vast cellars for several years before release. This patient process yields a Riesling of incredible texture, balancing a rich, off-dry palate of honeyed citrus, stone fruit, and petrol notes with a vibrant, mineral-driven acidity.
🍾 About the Producer
Domaine Rolly Gassmann emerged in 1967 through the marriage of Marie-Thérèse Rolly and Louis Gassmann, unifying two families with winemaking lineages in Alsace dating to 1676 and 1611 respectively. Situated in Rorschwihr along the complex Ribeauvillé fault line, the estate commands over 50 hectares characterized by a mosaic of 21 distinct limestone-dominant subsoil profiles. Opting out of the Alsace Grand Cru hierarchy in favor of expressing traditional historic lieux-dits, current winemaker Pierre Gassmann operates strictly within biodynamic rhythms. The viticultural approach champions late physiological and phenological harvesting, intentionally courting noble rot across micro-parcels. In the cellar, natural fermentations proceed unhurried for four to six months. Celebrated for an obsessive dedication to bottle maturation, Rolly Gassmann stores millions of bottles in a state-of-the-art multi-level cellar before commercial release. The benchmark portfolio spans opulent, long-lived expressions from lieux-dits such as Silberberg, Kappelweg, and Pflaenzerreben, alongside lusciously concentrated Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles.
🍇 Grapes
Riesling
🍷 ABV
12.5-13.5%