2020 Riesling de Rorschwihr Cuvée Yves Vendanges Tardives, Domaine Rolly Gassmann

• Style: Botrytised Alsatian Riesling
• Taste: Stone fruit, honey, pastry, apricot, hazelnut with bright acidity
• Food: Foie gras; blue cheese; chocolate & rich desserts
• Occasion: Date night; gifting
• Serve: Chilled, 8–10°C

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

A botrytised wine that unfolds with remarkable generosity. The 2020 vintage—born from an unusually hot and dry growing season—concentrated the fruit and encouraged noble rot to settle on around half the berries by mid-October harvest. In the glass: ripe yellow fruit and floral notes on the nose, melting into candied orange, honey and botrytis character on the palate. Apricot and hazelnut flesh is underlaid by bright, incisive acidity that keeps this dessert wine from ever feeling cloying. Smooth and layered without weight, it exemplifies why Riesling remains among the world's finest white varieties.

The Winery — Domaine Rolly Gassmann

The Rolly and Gassmann families established this domaine in 1967 through marriage, building on winemaking roots stretching back to the 17th century. Now in its second generation under Pierre Gassmann's stewardship, the domaine works organically in the vines and follows biodynamic principles. They operate 52 hectares across the Haut-Rhin region, drawing fruit from the limestone-rich soils of Rorschwihr—where 21 different limestone types converge in the subsoil, sites monks identified over four centuries ago. For the 2020, grapes were pressed gently and fermented slowly with wild yeasts, then aged in large, centuries-old oak vessels for nearly a year before bottling. This patient approach delivers genuine character and mineral precision.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

This wine pairs superbly with foie gras, blue cheese, chocolate and rich desserts, or soft, creamy cheese. Its balance of ripe sweetness and bright acidity makes it equally at home as a meditation on what France's north-eastern wine country can achieve, or as a special gift for date night. Serve chilled at 8–10°C. The 2020 captures the essence of Alsace terroir and winemaking craft worth exploring further.