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More Vins d'Alsace
- DOMAINE WEINBACH
 This
is an historic estate which is regarded by anybody who's anybody as one of
the top domaines in Alsace. The property is along the road entering
the town of Kaysersberg and there's a walled vineyard surrounding the
winery; the vines of the Clos du Capucins, an old Capuchin monastery dating
back to the 1600s!
But vineyards have, according to the history books, been planted there since
the year 890. Kudos to whomever had the idea of cultivating grapes in
this prime location back in the 800s!
The Faller family bought Domaine Weinbach (the name translates to something
like "wine brook" as there's actually a small stream on the
property) in 1898. It's been run by Theo Faller's widow Colette and
their daughters Catherine and Laurence since 1979. Today Laurence is
the winemaker and a major ambassador for Alsace wines in general and
Weinbach in particular. Her sister Catherine takes care of sales and
also is an eno-ambassador.
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Vineyards cover about 67 acres, with a number of grand cru-status sites
taking center stage. Schlossberg is a granitic soil and Riesling
does extremely well there. The Furstentum vineyard and Mambourg
(closer to the town of Sigolsheim) are limestone and clay soils in which
the Gewürztraminer grape thrives. Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer also are cultivated in the Altenbourg vineyard (not a grand cru but
adjacent to Furstentum). Sand and gravel soils are found within the
walled Clos du Capucins where they cultivate Riesling, Sylvaner, Muscat,
Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Take good notes on
this...there may be a quiz later.
The wines have garnered good scores from various critics over the past
years and it seemed to me the wines had become a shade sweeter than when
we first were introduced to the Faller family many years ago. I am
happy to note the recent and current vintages seem to taste drier and/or
have a finer point of balance.
Vines are cultivated biodynamically, though the winery doesn't make this a
selling point. Instead they focus on growing good quality fruit and
making wines with finesse and elegance and let the wines speak for
themselves. We've seen many producers in Alsace make sweeter and
sweeter wines which may "score" well in tastings but they're
difficult to appreciate at the dinner table from the top of the bottle to
the bottom.
Some growers seek to limit the production to such low yields that they
can't help but make over-the-top, sweet wines. Weinbach's yields are
well-below the ridiculously high legal limits and seem to be sensible.
Fermentation and "holding" tanks in the
Weinbach cellar.
Recent vintages from Weinbach have struck a nice balance, with acidity
being high enough to mask the modest levels of residual sugar.
Winemaker Laurence Faller shows off some of the
cooperage in which various wines are matured...The wood is used to develop
the character of the wines, not for adding the flavor of oak.
- We tasted a range of wines when we last visited the estate and
found a terrific array of truly classic bottles, as usual. From Pinot Blanc
and Muscat to the Schlossberg Rieslings and Cuvée Theo Gewürztraminer,
these are wonderful. The 2009 vintage has recently arrived in the
shop and we have some half bottles of a couple of Gewurztraminers at a
price which is most attractive.
If you made wines of the quality
of Weinbach's you'd be smiling, too.
~Laurence Faller~
- The 2009
"regular" bottling of Gewürztraminer that is currently in
stock displays the delightfully
aromatic grapefruit and rose petal notes of that varietal. The balance
is really fine as, despite a small amount of sweetness, the wine finishes as
though it was dry.
The Schlossberg bottling of Riesling from 2009 has a mild floral note and is
close to dry. It also has a mildly stony aspect to
it. It is a very fine wine now and ought to remain so for a
number of years.
The 2009 Reserve Riesling is delicious...lots of bright floral notes and it
comes across the palate as a dry wine...
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You don't need to be in a hurry to drink Weinbach's wines...We drank a
sensational bottle of 1992 Gewürztraminer with some foie gras in 2006...the
wine tasted young and bright. I would not have guessed this to be 13+
years of age!
In September of 2007 we brought a bottle of Weinbach 1982 Tokay Pinot Gris
to dinner with friends (as foie gras was on the menu!).
The wine was superb...aromatic and complex and minerally on the nose and a
steely 'edge' to it in concert with the foie gras...we were delighted!
Still life at Domaine Weinbach.
- Currently Available: 2009 Gewürztraminer $29.99 (750ml)
2009 Riesling "Grand Cru" Schlossberg $37.99 (750ml)
2009 Riesling Reserve Personelle $24.99 (750ml)
2006 Gewurztraminer Altenbourg Sale $23.99 (375ml)
2006 Gewurztraminer Schlossberg (SGN) Sale $39.99 (375ml)
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MARCEL DEISS
 This 20 hectare
domaine in Bergheim is very highly regarded in France and virtually unknown
here in the U.S., unfortunately.
Jean-Michel Deiss is described in one book as a
"tyrant" in the vineyard as he insists upon a major amount of work
to maximize the character of the various varietals, but also the character
of the "terroir" where the wine is born.
In speaking with
him recently, I could see he's a real fan of producing wines which taste of
where they come from. I made the mistake of asking him what grapes
were in a particular wine and he responded that the wine tastes of its
terroir more than of one particular variety. Indeed, the wine was a
blend featuring the usual suspects and you would have to have a lead palate
not to be able to taste that the wine was something fine and something from
Alsace. It could not, quite simply, have been made anywhere else.
Some of the wines have only the name of their vineyard site, though basic
bottlings feature the name of the grape variety. These have been
dubbed the ABC wines, since Deiss is quoted as saying you have to know your
A,B,C's before you can write poetry.
Other wines carry only the name of the vineyard, so you can
find bottlings such as Englegarten, Grasberg, Grand Cru Schoenenbourg or
Grand Vin de L'Altenberg de Bergheim for example.
His wines are said
to have great aging potential, but what we've tasted has been of such
interest that we cannot resist drinking them young. I am interested to
see a few bottles aside to see what happens.
The wines, by the way, are made using bio-dynamic cultivation practices.
Stopping by the Deiss tasting room is a delightful experience. They
have most of their wines open for sampling, though we noticed many people who
stop, immediately scurry out when they see the prices of the Deiss wines.
Yes, these are not "cheap," nor is this winery a bargain hunter's
paradise, but the quality of the wines is very high thanks to Jean-Michel being
a perfectionist. (Look at the photos of their winery and you'll notice
there's a place for everything and everything is in its place.)
The 2009 Beblenheim bottling of Riesling is a
rather dry white--perfect with trout or smoked fish. This is a
wonderful vintage for most top Alsace estates and this wine retains nice
acidity to finish dry and fresh on the palate.
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- Currently in stock: 2009 Riesling Beblenheim $25.99
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CHATEAU D'ORSCHWIHR
 Hubert Hartmann owns this up and coming
winery in the village of (not surprisingly) Orschwihr. The old chateau is even
surrounded by a moat! Hartmann is quite a serious winegrower, looking to maximize
quality at the expense of quantity. He also does not rely on a bag of sugar to
chaptalise his wines and a number of them have the notation right on the label of not
having been "fortified" with sugar. He also is a
practitioner of good, sound farming methods...
Hartmann, further, has started labeling his bottles with the precise
amount of residual sugar, if any, in the wine. He says he is,
frankly, frustrated when dining out and asking which of the Alsatian wines
are dry. He says he's frequently told "Well, they're pretty much
dry." And after ordering a bottle, he discovers the wine is not
dry at all.
Photo: Some cured salmon prepared by Norbert and Gaby, served
with a Zucchini "pancake."
Newly arrived is the 2006 Riesling "Bollenberg."
This comes from a hill with a curious history...it was said to be haunted by
witches! We might have to admit this 2006 is a bewitching example of
dry Riesling (and dry it is!). This is a lovely wine as an aperitif,
but it can also be matched with Asian-styled foods, a huge sauerkraut,
roasted pork, etc.
Hubert's 2002 Enchenberg Vieux Thann Riesling is a delight. It's
reaching a point of maturity and the aromas and bouquet are fantastic.
Enchenberg is a hill in the towns of Thann and Vieux Thann. The most
famous site is called Rangen, a volcanic soil which produces some remarkable
wines. Enchenberg ain't so bad, either, frankly. You'll find a
nice minerally aspect to this wine. It tastes dry, but, in fact, it's
got about 10 grams per liter of sugar...the acidity is high and easily
balances the sweetness to where it's masked. Remarkably complex and
it's attractively priced...
- In Stock: 2006 Riesling "Bollenberg" $17.99
2005 Gewurztraminer $17.99
2002 Riesling "Enchenberg Vieux Thann" $25.99
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- DOMAINE STIRN
 This
is a small winery presently and I'm guessing their production will grow in
the next few years. Having tasted a range of offerings from winemaker
and grape grower Fabien Stirn, one is impressed by the finesse of his wines
and the balance embodied by nearly every one.
Located in Sigolsheim, they have a number of grand cru sites in their
portfolio, including Brand, Mambourg, Marckrain and Sonnenglanz. The
estate has vineyards in 8 villages near Sigolsheim.
We have a sensational 2005 Muscat. Now, in terms of California
wines, 2005 is getting old and tired. In terms of Domaine Stirn, the
wine is young and fresh, with amazingly intense fragrances and Muscat
flavors. You can just about taste the fresh fruit in this wine.
It's also rather dry, so opening a bottle on a hot day is a most sensible
idea. The vineyard is located in Turckheim and the vines are old, some
planted in 1958 and others in 1962. It's entirely Muscat Ottonel which
Fabien explains is best on good soils. "The vintage makes the
Ottonel."
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I find old label art to be really interesting. Here are some
bottles made decades ago.
Fabien Stirn with his Mom and Dad.
The other winner in the line-up is Stirn's Riesling. We currently have
the 2006 "basic" bottling in stock...it tastes dry and
fresh.
- Currently in stock:
2006 STIRN RIESLING Sold Out
2005 STIRN MUSCAT Sold out
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Stirn Pinot Gris in a small Sigolsheim restaurant favored by the
locals. It's called Au Bon Coin. "Carre de Porc Fermier."
DOMAINE FERNAND ENGEL The
Engel estate comprises some 41 hectares of vineyards in places such as Rorschwihr, Bergheim, Saint Hippolyte, Orschwiller and Kintzheim. The Engel vineyards are cultivated biodynamically and yet
the price of their wines is not excessive. The estate used to be
"mixed agriculture," but over the past couple of decades, wine has
become the focus here. The move to "organic" and then
biodynamic came about when Bernard Engel discovered he was having allergic
reactions while working in the vineyards with normal sprays and
pesticides.
The family started its enological adventure in 1949 but it took them until
1969 to come up with the novel idea of selling wine in glass bottles.
We tasted a wonderful little Pinot Blanc which we're told is made entirely
of the Auxerrois clone. It's aromatic and appley, showing fresh fruit
notes and a crisp, tangy finish. And the price makes it all the more
interesting.
There's a nice tasting bar at this winery, or, if you prefer, you can have a
seat at a table overlooking some vineyards and taste their range of wines.
Winemaker Xavier Baril, Bernard Engel's son-in-law, tastes the 2006 vintage as
it's fermenting. He was quite pleased with the results of this difficult
harvest, noting this was a vintage which will separate the men from the boys.
Daughter Sandrine, Bernard and his wife.
Bernard's grand-daughter Mathilde.
Currently in stock: 2009 ENGEL Pinot Blanc $11.99
2007 ENGEL Gewurztraminer $15.99-
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DIRLER-CADE
 This small estate is
located in the southern part of Alsace in the little wine village of
Bergholtz. The estate was founded in 1871 and today the fifth
generation is at the helm, with Jean-Pierre (Dirler) and his wife Ludivine (Cade) running this biodynamically-farmed estate.
They currently cultivate some 18 hectares of vines and produce about 100,000
bottles annually. The amazing statistic here is that some 42% of their
vineyards are located in grand cru sites! -
- Come for a tasting and you'll sample a truly dizzying array of
wines. Each speaks well of its terroir. You can certainly
distinguish the various Riesling vineyards, for example. Add to the
mix that they have numerous vintages for sale and you will find dozens and
dozens of bottles open in the Dirler-Cade tasting room.
Each wine manages to capture a certain point of finesse. In tasting
through the line-up, I felt the wines were the work of a real
perfectionist.
Dirler-Cade wines are not terribly well-known in the United States, as
their importer keeps a rather low profile.
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Mr. & Mrs. Jean-Pierre Dirler
The rest of the Dirler-Cade team.
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- The Grand Cru sites are remarkable. They have all four of the
Guebwiller area -- Saering (the sea ring), Spiegel (the mirror), Kessler
and Kitterlé.
We're big fans of this estate, but the American importer is a bit of a
mystery, so the wines are not easily obtainable. Oh well...Dirler
makes nice wines!
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Wines in stock: 2002 Riesling "Bollenberg"
Sold Out
2002 Muscat Sold Out
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ALLIMANT-LAUGNER
 Hubert
Laugner now runs the family domaine in Orschwiller, a few villages north
of Ribeauvill. The original name has been Allimant-Laugner,
Allimant being his mother's family. He still includes the name on
the label, but I suspect it may disappear in the next few years as his
name appears prominently on the case boxes.
The domaine has 12 hectares of vineyards owned by Monsieur Laugner, with
another 8 being rented and farmed. A number of wines here are quite
good.
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- They have a small Riesling vineyard of note in the
nearby hills at a grand cru site called Praeletenberg. The soils are
granite and gneiss. I found the wine to be quite dry, but Hubert
says there's about 7 grams per liter of residual sugar. This is far
less than many popular California Chardonnays, for comparison.
Riesling from this site is said to age extremely well, but we suspect most
bottles of Laugner's 2006 Grand Cru will be consumed in short order.
The wine shows classic Riesling notes of flowers, fruit along with an
underlying minerally tone. It's dry and fairly crisp, making it an
ideal accompaniment to smoked pork, ham or sausages. Of course it
will also match nicely with seafood and Asian cuisine. Very showy.
Price-worthy, too.
Another winner, amongst a very fine array of wines, is Laugner's sparkling
wine made entirely of Pinot Noir. Cremant d'Alsace Rose is delightful
and rather dry. The skins are macerated with the juice for about
three or four hours. Laugner started making this wine nearly two
decades ago and it's really taken off the past five or six years. No
wonder...the wine is as good as most Champagne Ross and it's reasonably
priced.
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Currently in stock: 2006 Allimant-Laugner
"Grand Cru Praeletenberg" Riesling Sold Out
Allimant-Laugner Cremant d'Alsace Rosé $19.99
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MARC KREYDENWEISS
 Marc
Kreydenweiss took over the family estate in the early 1970s and, after many
years of farming and winemaking, turned the property into one of France's
most famous bio-dynamically farmed domaines.
He cultivates some 12 hectares of vines in and around the village of
Andlau. Three grand cru sites are the jewels in the Kreydenweiss
crown: Moenchberg, Wiebelsberg and Kastelberg. The bio-dynamic
aspects of farming mean they work the soil and don't rely on
chemicals. Cellar work proceeds according to the phases of the moon,
all in an effort to bottle the most natural product possible.
Kreydenweiss changes his label with each vintage. This is good news if
you find the current year's art work not to be to your taste.
On a recent visit to Europe, we tasted an exceptional 1999 Grand Cru
Riesling from the Kastelberg site. The wine displays unmistakable
floral and minerally notes. It's medium-full bodied and quite
flavorful. I imagine it will cellar nicely for another 3-8 years,
maybe longer if your storage area is cold. -
- Currently in stock: 1999 Kastelberg (Grand Cru) Riesling $49.99
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ALBERT MANN
 This
modest-sized domaine is situated in the village of Wettolsheim, close to
Colmar.
Marie-Claire Mann, Albert's daughter, married Maurice Barthelme and they
ran the estate for a while on their own. Then Maurice's brother
Jacky joined the team. Their mother is a member of the Blanck
family, so you've got strong ties to the Alsace wine industry!
The domaine comprises about 21 hectares of vineyards. Maurice
Barthelme is a proponent of organic farming and they're also cognizant of
having sensible crop levels to maximize quality.
Half the production of their wines is in Pinot Blanc Auxerrois and
Riesling, with the other usual suspects accounting for the rest.
We've enjoyed their Pinot Auxerrois and Rieslings over the years.
Their Pinot Auxerrois is a delicious accompaniment to chicken or veal in a
cream sauce...or something with a mushroom sauce. Lots of bright
fruit...we find it somewhat along the lines of ripe apple and
quince. Fairly dry, but it's not austere.
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Currently in stock:
2005 ALBERT MANN PINOT AUXERROIS $16.99
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DOMAINE SCHOFFIT
 We've
followed the wines of the Schoffit family for many years, visiting them
more than a decade ago.
The wines here are usually well-made and of good quality. For my
personal taste, I often find the wines a bit potent and sweeter than I'd
like. This is a personal preference and the Schoffit wines seem to
find a receptive audience.
The estate is run by Bernard Schoffit, whose father, Robert, founded the
place. Bernard has extended the vineyard holdings, buying land in
the Rangen region. The property was too much work for others and so
it was not planted with vines at the time of Bernard's purchase. He
worked diligently to clear this steep site and courageously planted
vineyards there. Now he appears to be a genius, as wines from this
place is highly-regarded.
I recall Mrs. Schoffit explaining the wines labeled as "Cuvée
Caroline" typically have a small amount of sweetness.
We found their 2004 Gewürztraminer of the Cuvée Caroline designation to
be magnificent. It's wonderfully aromatic with the fragrance of
lychees and rose petals. And I like the balance of the wine...I
suspect there's a bit of sweetness, but the wine actually finishes fairly
dry in the company of food. Very fine!
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Currently in stock: 2004 SCHOFFIT Gewürztraminer "Cuvée Caroline"
Sold Out
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ANDRÉ SCHERER
 The
domaine of the Scherer family is now operated by André's son Christophe.
The domaine is located in Husseren-les-Châteaux and they have holdings
scattered around the area of nearby Eguisheim.
The winery features old and new technology, with an eye towards
tradition.
We've not tasted too many of their wines, but did enjoy the 2005 Pinot
Noir.
Over the years, Pinot Noir has improved dramatically in Alsace.
Years ago the vineyards were hugely over-cropped and the wines made were
more similar to a rosé than a red wine.
Today, when we dine out in Alsace, it's possible to find some really
marvelous examples of Pinot. The 2005 Scherer is in between a
Beaujolais and a good example of Burgundy. The wine is light garnet
in color and the fragrances are easily identified as Pinot Noir.
Mild cherry notes account for most of the fragrances here. The wine
is light and dry on the palate, the sort of wine you'll want to chill
slightly. It's not intended for cellaring, so please drink it
in the near term.
You can match it with roasted chicken or duck. Serving it alongside
some French cheeses would be a good pairing, too.
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Currently in stock: ANDRÉ SCHERER 2005 PINOT NOIR Sold
Out
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KUENTZ-BAS
 This old
winery is located in the village of Hussern Les Chateaux and is a major
Riesling specialist.
It's undergone some changes over the past few years, being sold to JB Adam
in 2004.
The current owner has the idea of increasing the quality of the Kuentz-Bas
wines and reducing the quantity of wine they've been making. He does,
after all, have a "production" label, JB Adam.
The domaine owns 10 hectares and has contracts with a couple of growers who
farm another 10. They're making 200,000 bottles these days, about half
of what the estate used to turn out.
We're fans of their 'basic' bottling of Riesling. This is the
'foundation' of the hose, actually. Kuentz-Bas fancies itself as a
Riesling specialist. We have a good quality, fairly dry Riesling
that's nicely priced and easy to drink. -
- Currently in stock: 2004 KUENTZ-BAS RIESLING Sold Out
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Their wines have
been imported to the San Francisco Bay Area for many years. I have found their wines
to be fairly typical and periodically quite nice. 
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