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Describe Granite/Gneiss
- 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
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Describe Schist
- 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
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Describe Graywacke
- 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
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Describe Sandstone
- 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
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Describe Limestone
- 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
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Define Marl
Amalgamation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3, aka "lime") and clay
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Describe Marly-Limy (Marly Limestone) soils
- 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
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Describe Marly-Sandstone soils
- 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
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Describe Sandy-Marly-Limy (Calcareous-Marl-Sandstone) soils
- 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
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Describe Calcareous-Sandstone (Limy Sandstone) soils
- 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
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Describe Clayey-Marly (Marly Clay) soils
- 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
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Define scree
Broken rock fragments that collect at the base of cliffs, mountains, or steep slope
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Define talus slope
- A slope formed by an accumulation of rock debris
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Describe Lowland Talus Slope and Scree soils
- 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
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Describe Valley Floor/Alluvial soils
- 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
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Describe Loess and Loam soils
- 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
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What adjective and noun describe soil deposited by wind?
Aeolian/Loess: accumulation of wind-blown silt
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What adjective and noun describe soil deposited by gravity?
Colluvial/Colluvium: loose deposit of rock debris accumulated through the action of gravity
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What adjective and noun describe soil deposited by water?
Alluvial/Alluvium: fine-grained fertile soil consisting of mud, silt, sand and gravel deposited by flowing water
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Define Loam
A rich, friable (brittle) soil containing a relatively equal mixture of sand and silt and a somewhat smaller proportion of clay.
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Define Clastic
Denoting rocks composed of broken pieces of older rocks
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Define Calcareous
- Composed of or characteristic of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), calcium, or limestone; chalky
- Chalk: limestone derived chiefly from fossil seashells
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Define Argilleceous
Denoting rocks containing fine-grained sediment such as clay
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Define Arenaceous
Containing (or living in) sand
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Name the soils found on the bottom slopes of the Vosges Peaks
- Granite/Gneiss
- Schist
- Graywacke
- Sandstone
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Name the soils found on the Sub-Vosgian Foothills
- Limestone
- Calcareous Sandstone
- Marly Sandstone
- Marly Limestone
- Marly Clay
- Marly Calcareous Sandstone
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Name the soils found on the Rhine Plain
- Alluvial
- Aeolian: Loess/Loam
- Colluvial: Lowland Talus Slope and Scree
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Which soils are common in Alsace?
- Marly Limestone
- Colluvial (Lowland Talus Slope and Scree)
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Which soils are rare in Alsace?
Graywacke and Sandstone
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Which soil types are planted to each of the 7 grape varieties grown in Alsace?
- 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
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Define Marl
- A mixture of limestone (calcium carbonate, CaCO3) and clay (e.g., 35-65% each)

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

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What is the particle size of sand, silt, and clay
- Sand: 0.063-4.75 mm
- Silt: 0.002-0.063 mm
- Clay: < 0.002 mm
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Name the soils of famous Grand Crus in Haut-Rhine
- 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)
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