Pinot Gris Vendanges Tardives
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2035
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Foie gras, blue cheese, fruit tarts
✨ Technical Specifications
The Pinot Gris Vendanges Tardives from Cave du Vieil-Armand is a testament to the patient art of late-harvest winemaking in Alsace. The name 'Vieil-Armand' itself pays tribute to the historic Hartmannswillerkopf battlefield of World War I, a place of memory that overlooks the sun-drenched slopes where these grapes are grown. To achieve the prestigious 'Vendanges Tardives' designation, the Pinot Gris grapes are left on the vine weeks after the normal harvest, allowing them to shrivel and often develop botrytis cinerea, or noble rot. This natural concentration process yields a wine of immense richness, balancing luscious sweetness with a vibrant spine of acidity. Historically, Pinot Gris was known in Alsace as 'Tokay d'Alsace,' a legendary name associated with Hungarian royalty before modern regulations reserved the term. Today, this cuvée showcases the grape's true Alsatian identity, offering complex aromas of honey, dried apricot, smoky spice, and beeswax, deeply reflective of the region's unique granite and silt soils.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1958 at the foot of the historic Hartmannswillerkopf hill—known in French as the Vieil Armand—Cave du Vieil-Armand is a distinguished cooperative estate situated in the southern Alsace village of Wuenheim. Drawing upon an extraordinary mosaic of terroirs, including the historic vineyards of Château d'Ollwiller, the estate unites dedicated local winegrowers committed to authentic regional craftsmanship and sustainable viticulture. The winery is renowned for its versatile portfolio spanning classic still Alsace AOC varietals such as Sylvaner and Pinot Gris, elegant traditional-method Crémants d'Alsace, and artisanal fruit brandies and liqueurs, all characterized by their expressive aromatic purity and crisp structural balance.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Pinot Gris