2016 Riesling Muenchberg Grand Cru

Things will never be the same for me at Ostertag. This year, André Ostertag decided to step back and let his son Arthur take over the main winemaking duties while he heals from Parkinson’s. I first met André in 1992, and he is one of the nicest people in Alsace wine. I wish him well and hope to see him back and active at the estate before long. Today, the Ostertag estate farms 15 hectares divided over more than 100 plots of vines. Arthur spent his first full year back at the winery in 2016 and was entrusted with two plots of Riesling (less than 0.1 hectares), the grapes from which were usually part of the Riesling Les Jardins. This became Arthur’s pet project; he made about 400 bottles in 2016, following winemaking methods similar to his father’s (though he prefers not to make, at least for now, a pied de cuve from the indigenous yeasts). The lineup of wines I tried this year at the estate was extremely impressive.