Alsace Soil Types

• Igneous rock
• Gneiss is a sandier form of granite
• Crystalline, quartz-rich
• Disintegrates to form sand and pebbly screes
• Does not retain water well
• Ideal for late-ripening Riesling
• Wines are fresh, floral, delicate, expressive

• Foliated (easily split) metamorphic rock derived from clays and mud
• Metamorphic rock (Shale to Slate to Schist)
• Alsace's oldest soil type
• Ville Schist: 500 mya, green-gray, clayey ("argillaceous")
• Steige Schist: 430 mya, black, hard, rich in iron, magnesium, sodium
• Crafts Riesling wines that age well

• Rare in Alsace (Rangen de Thann)
• Gray-black volcanic-sedimentary rock comprised of lava, ash, quartz, granite, and sand
• Formed 300 mya; rich in iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sulphates
• Slow to erode, heats quickly and retains heat
• Crafts Riesling and Pinot Gris wines that are structured, fruity, expressive, and age well

• Nutritionally poor sedimentary rock that does not retain water
• Common at the end of Paleozoic era and beginning of Mesozoic era
• Permian Sandstone: contains feldspar and volanic elements
• Buntsandstein (aka Vosges Sandstone): rich in iron oxide; "bunt" means colorful in German
• Crafts Riesling and Pinot Gris wines that are delicate, fruity, and age well

• Sedimentary marine deposits, stony and does not retain much water
• Muschelkalk: gray, marl fingers, formed 250-200 mya
• Dogger: white, oolitic limestone, formed 199-145 mya
• Erodes quickly, releasing calcium and magnesium
• Gewurtztraminer develops aromas of rose and Pinot Noir develops richness
• Wines are balanced and delicate, with great aging potential

Amalgamation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3, aka "lime") and clay

• One of the most common and best terroirs in Alsace (22 of 51 Grand Crus)
• yellow-white oolitic limestone conglomerate formed 30-45 mya
• Washed down from the foothills, rounded by streams, cemented together by marls
• Soils are rich in calcium and magnesium and retain water well
• Suited for Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, and Sylvaner
• Wines are structured, rich, and spicy

• Mineral wealth varies with little humus (decomposed organic matter)
• Erodes quickly but retains water well
• Crafts Riesling and Gewurztraminer wines with good acidity, fruity aromas, and complexity

• Layers of limestone, standstone, and marls formed during the Mesozoic era (251-65 mya)
• Soils are deep with good water retention
• Tremendous mineral wealth (calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese)
• Riesling and Gewurztraminer wines develop pronounced minerality

• Rare in Alsace
• Quartz sand cemented by calcium or magnesium carbonates ([CO3]2-); often with white mica flakes
• Slow to erode, heats quickly and retains heat, does not retain water well
• Poor soils with little organic or mineral content
• Wines develop a floral aroma with a touch of exotic fruit

• Clay with small pockets of limestone, dolomite, or gypsum
• Heavy soils have tremendous minteral wealth and retain water well; prone to landslides
• Suitable for Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, and Sylvaner
• Wines mature slowly but develop good structure, minerality, and complexity

Broken rock fragments that collect at the base of cliffs, mountains, or steep slope

• A slope formed by an accumulation of rock debris
• 

• Colluvial deposits (slope wash) of sand, silt, clay, and pebbles; usually fine-grained and siliceous (quartz is a type of silica)-based
• Mineral wealth and particle size varies greatly
• Common lowland soil in Alsace formed during the last 2.5 million years (young)
• Riesling, Sylvaner, and Pinots do well here

• Sand, silt, clay, gravel and pebbles dropped by streams, naturally sorted by size (heaviest first, lightest last) and arranged in the direction of water flow
• Very rich in organic material with a water reserve that helps vines survive drought
• Wines are very fruity and light-bodied, meant to be drunk young
• Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois used for crémant are planted here

• Fine, pale yellow silt, sand, and calcareous particles with little clay
• Loess are wind deposits (aeolian) that originated during the last glacial period; as loess weathers, it decalcifies and transforms into a brown loam
• Excellent cropland as the soil is loose and fertile with good water retention
• Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc grown here are meant to be drunk young

Aeolian/Loess: accumulation of wind-blown silt

Colluvial/Colluvium: loose deposit of rock debris accumulated through the action of gravity

Alluvial/Alluvium: fine-grained fertile soil consisting of mud, silt, sand and gravel deposited by flowing water

A rich, friable (brittle) soil containing a relatively equal mixture of sand and silt and a somewhat smaller proportion of clay.

Denoting rocks composed of broken pieces of older rocks

• Composed of or characteristic of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), calcium, or limestone; chalky
• Chalk: limestone derived chiefly from fossil seashells

Denoting rocks containing fine-grained sediment such as clay

Containing (or living in) sand

• Granite/Gneiss
• Schist
• Graywacke
• Sandstone

• Limestone
• Calcareous Sandstone
• Marly Sandstone
• Marly Limestone
• Marly Clay
• Marly Calcareous Sandstone

• Alluvial
• Aeolian: Loess/Loam
• Colluvial: Lowland Talus Slope and Scree

• Marly Limestone
• Colluvial (Lowland Talus Slope and Scree)

Graywacke and Sandstone

• Riesling (8): G, T, V, S, MS, LMS, LO, CO
• Pinot Gris (6): V, S, ML, MC, LO, CO
• Gewurztraminer (5): L, ML, MC, MS, LMS
• Pinot Blanc (5): ML, MC, A, LO, CO
• Sylvaner (3): ML, MC, CO
• Pinot Noir (2): L, CO
• Auxerrois (1): A

Note: T=Schist, V=Graywacke, LO=Loess/Loam, CO=Lowland Talus Slope and Scree

• A mixture of limestone (calcium carbonate, CaCO3) and clay (e.g., 35-65% each)
• 

• A mixture of sand, silt, and clay (e.g., 40%, 40%, 20%)
• 

• Sand: 0.063-4.75 mm
• Silt: 0.002-0.063 mm
• Clay: < 0.002 mm

• Chatenois to Colmar (North Haut-Rhine):
• Praelatenberg: Granite/Gneiss
• Osterberg: Marl (marly limestone)
• Sonnenglantz: Marly limestone
• Sporen: Marly clay
• Furstentum: Limestone
• Mambourg: Marly limestone
• Kaefferkopf: Granite, sandstone, limestone
• Brand: Granite
• Hengst: Marly calcareous sandstone

• Wettolsheim to Orschwihr (Central Haut-Rhine):
• Steingrubler: Marly calcareous sandstone
• Pfersigberg: Sandstone, limestone
• Goldert: Marly limestone
• Zinnkoepfle: Sandstone, limestone

• Gruebeiller to Than (South Haut-Rhine):
• Kessler: Sandy clay (marly clay, sandstone)