Alsace Wines’ Heart and Soul - Land Sustainability #Winophiles #DrinkAlsace

Photo Credit: www.vinsalsace.com

Respecting nature is part of the long tradition in Alsace. The Upper Rhine region in Alsace is the birthplace of biodynamic farming. Organic and biodynamic viticulture have widely been adopted throughout the Alsace wine-growing areas. This sustainable farming approach challenges vineyards to smartly manage their use of pesticides and fertilizers, and makes growers implement an overall initiative, through technical means and agricultural practices, to  comply with the sustainable farming standards. These standards focus on respecting the environment, managing the health of vines, and contributing to protecting the landscapes and biological diversity of the overall estate.

Photo Credit: Vins Alsace

Organic and biodynamic farming and grape-growing started to gain attention in the area since the beginning of 1970’s, when the early signs of land deterioration were sunk in: Desertification of rural areas, widened imbalance between the Northern and Southern regions, increasing consumption of energy in farming, and deterioration of soils, air, water and nature. In addition, the need to increase yields of grapes and over production of wines destroyed the balances between fauna and flora, resulting from the incresing use of pesticides by farmers and vineyards. Simultaneously, food quality, knowledge of harmful effects of pesticides on human, and land sustainability became concerns not only among the growers but the consumers. 

Photo Credit: Vins Alsace

Faced with this concerns, organic grape-growing and biodynamic farming attempts to gain a closer look at how the earth, water, plants, air, fauna and flora could healthily interact and cohabitate. Instead of fighting against the natural elements that may stunt the growth and yields of vines, farmers begin to reactivate soil life and stimulate the natural resistance of plants, becoming intune with the natural cycles. While growing grapes with the ancestral wisdom and practices is still important, adopting to organic and biodynamic farming practices becomes an integral part of their modern winemaking process. Winemakers notably manage their vines using zero to minimal chemical fertilizers or synthetic pesticides, gaining regulatory and commercial approvals and recognition. Let's take a look at how three of the pioneers - DOMAINE FREDERIC MOCHEL, DOMAINE JEAN-MARIE HAAG, and DOMAINE ALFRED WANTZ, which are at different stages of their organic and biodynamic farming journey, sustain their land.

DOMAINE FREDERIC MOCHEL

Located in Traenheim, the northern part Alsace, 12 miles west of Strasbourg, the Mochel family has been living in this village that has deep wine history since 1669. As an independent winemaker, Domaine Frederic Mochel respects their terroir, harvest solely in their own vineyard, and fulfill their whole supply chain - make wines, bottle them, and sell them directly from their cellar. They are in the process of converting to organic farming and continue to respect the soils and the vines.

AOC Alsace Riesling 2015 Kaploen en conversion  

Terroir: Traenheim: north-west facing terrasse farming at the altitude between 210 and 265 meters, marly soils; Bergbieten: south and south-east facing on gentle hillside slopes between 210 and 265 meters, marl-limestone-gypsum soils.

Taste: Outstanding notes of exotic fruit and candied lemon on the nose, rich and oily mouthfeel, contrast with crisp acidity and intense fruitiness.

AOC Alsace Riesling 2019 en conversion  

Terroir: Traenheim and Bergbieten.

Taste: Citrus notes, white flowers aromas, intense acidity, lively and juicy, long finish.

AOC Alsace Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergbieten Riesling 2019 cuvée Henriette en conversion  

Terroir: Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergbieten is located in the heart of a large natural amphitheatre in the northern part of the Alsace wine-growing area.The Altenberg hill ideally exposes to the south/south-east, protecting it from northerly winds. To the west, the Vosges form a protective barriar against excessive rain from the west. This open landscape is bathed in optimal sunlight all day long. 

Taste: Concentrated notes of minerals and and stone fruits on the nose, rich and saline on the palate, mineral and tense finish, and great cellaring potential.

AOC Alsace Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergbieten Riesling 2011 cuvée Henriette en conversion  

Terroir: Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergbieten. 

Taste: Complex, rounded and well-balanced wine, fruity yet slightly overripe notes on the nose, lively minerality, and fresh finish.

DOMAINE JEAN-MARIE HAAG

Domaine Jean-Marie Haag, which owns around 21 acres of vineyards, is located in the decending slopes of the steep hillsides in the narrow valley called Vallée Noble, south of Colmar. The estate is certified in Terra Vitis, sustainable viticulture and HEV (high environmental value). To preserve the quality and true expression of grapes, the harvest of the grapes grown on the hillsides is picked exclusively by hand. The special dry climate that reigns there offers the vines a potential for over-maturity and makes it possible to produce concentrated, finesse vintages with incredible length.  

AOC Alsace Grand Cru Zinnkoepfle Riesling 2018 HVE  

Terroir: This Riesling is planted in facing south slope in Grand Cru Zinnkoepfle. Its soils are made up of limestone (Muschelkalk) and Avoltzia sandstone (Bundsandstein), considering one of the highest Alsatian Grand Crus. 

Taste: Full mouthfeel, minerality, bold salinity, great purity, minty aromas, notes of white flower and herbal tea. 

AOC Alsace Riesling 2018 Vallée Noble HVE

Terroir: This Riesling is planted in south-facing hillside parcel of the estate that has the  Avoltzia sandstone soil.

Taste: Fresh, salinity, great purity, complex aromatic expression of wild flowers. 

AOC Alsace Gewurtraminer 2019 HVE

Terroir: Planted on the south-western slope of Zinnkoepfle. 

Taste: Floral and spicy notes on the palate, full yet fresh, long, and balanced. 

AOC Alsace Pinot Noir 2019 HVE

Terroir: Zinnkoepfle. 

Taste: Aromas of very ripe black fruits, fresh mouthfeel, elegant tannins, balanced and persistent.  

DOMAINE ALFRED WANTZ

Domaine Alfred Wantz, which is located around Mittelbergheim consisting of AOP Alsace, AOP Alsace Grand Cru and Crémant d’Alsace, owns 31 acres of vineyards. They have produced organic wines since the 2020 vintage. The organic-farming certification is an acknowledgement of Alfred Wantz's long-term environmental commitment initiated at the end of the 90’s, when he started natural agricultural methods in grass management, ploughing, maintaining of hedgerowsthus, and promoting biodiversity. The estate nowadays adapts to new environmental challenges, reducing the effects from climate changes, while continuing the production of quality wines.

AOC Alsace Grand Cru Zotzenberg Riesling 2019 En Conversion

Terroir: Zotzenberg sits in a basin, resting on the south side of the Mittelbergheim 320 -metre hillside. Facing east and south, it has plenty of sunshine. The soils are composed of Jurassic-period and Oligocene marls and limestones, which are drought-resistent and are easy to retain dampness.  

Taste: Aged on lees for nine months, nose nose of citrus and spices, mineral touch, powerful yet balanced, fresh acidity at the finish. 

AOC Alsace Riesling 2017 Vielles Vignes En Conversion

Terroir: Produced in the estate's unique sandstone-soil vineyard.

Taste: Aged on lees for 15 months in an oak cask, floral and mineral nose, smooth and pear notes on the palate, and saline final touch.

AOC Alsace Grand Cru Zotzenberg Sylvaner 2019 En Conversion

Terroir: Zotzenberg is the unique place where Sylvaner can succeed to the AOP Alsace Grand Cru level. This is the land of Sylvaner, where this grape manages to develop its aromatic potential to the fullest (e.g., bay leaves and verbena), and reveals the finesse and saltiness dervied from the limestone soil. 

Taste: Floral and peppery notes, pleasant and noble bitter taste, and exceptionnal structure. 

AOC Alsace Pinot Noir 2017 Berg "Eden" En Conversion

Terroir: Eden is a selection of Domaine Alfred Wantz's best Pinot Noir vineyards. This Pinot Noir is aged in old oak barrels for 12 months and is bottled unfiltered to preserve the pesonnality.

Taste:  Complex, rich, subtle nose of cherry and blackberry, discrete vanilia notes, spicy yet smooth notes, and well-integrated tannins. 

To read the entire trilogy of my Alsace wine blogs, check out also my blogs on Food Compatibility and Family Tradition!

Alsace Wines’ Heart and Soul - Family Tradition #Winophiles #DrinkAlsace

Thanks to Teuwen Communications' recent invitation, I have recently signed up to attend the Millésimes Alsace DigiTasting in June, the first wine fair that combines real tastings and virtual meetings with vineyards and winemakers. Wine professionals were shipped with a box of four carefully curated wine samplers by each vineyard of their choice, enjoying the wines and conversations with the vineyards in the virtual wine tasting event. Via the online video and conferences, I learned about the terriors and family traditions that make Alsace wines unique, respectful and timeless. Through tasting wines from four of the oldest domaines in Alsace - DOMAINE MELANIE PFISTER, MAISON JEAN HUTTARD, LES VIGNOBLES RUHLMANN-SCHUTZ, and LEON BEYER, let's look at how family traditions, the commitments from generations after generations, and their past-down lands shape the wines they produce.

Photo Credit: Decanter.com

ALSACE WINE REGION

Alsace is located in the north east of France on the Rhine River plain, bordering Germany and Switzerland. It is globably known for its its very aromatic, floral and spicy white wines, which make up over 90% of the region’s production.  Riesling and Gewurztraminer are among the most significant yields in the production. Alsace wines are produced under three key appellations (53 Appellation D'origine Protégée): one Alsace AOP and 51 Alsace Grand Cru AOPs for both sweet or dry still white wines, and one Crémant d'Alsace AOP for sparkling.

DOMAINE MELANIE PFISTER

Mélanie Pfister is the 8th generation of Pfister family, which established in the northern part of Alsace in Dahlenheim, west of Strasbourg (capital of Alsace). The Domaine dates back to 1780 and currently owns 25 acres of vineyards. It specializes in dry Riesling and Cremant d’Alsace. Since the 2006 vintage, Mélanie took over the operation of the Domaine from her father.

AOC Alsace Grand Cru Engelberg Riesling 2017 Engelberg

Terrior: The Engelberg or “angels'hill”  presents a shallow and stony topsoil, on a bedrock of oolitic limestone. 

Taste: dry balance, structured by ripe acidity, noble bitterness, underpinned with minerality, aromas of citrus, pineapple and white flowers, and a long finish.

AOC Alsace Riesling 2019 Berg

Terrior: The limestone structure in this Riesling driven from the peak of Dahlenheim is obvious. The forty-year-old vines give the wine great precision. 

Taste: Bright, ripe acidity, pure, mineral tension, citrus notes and fresh flowers.

AOC Alsace Assemblage 2018 Paar - Auxerrois and Pinot Blanc Blend

Terrior: Coming from the 50 years old vines.

Taste: Dry balance, deep minerality which is unusal  for this type of wine. Volume provided by Auxerrois but ripe acidity offered by Pinot Blanc. Aromas of white flowers and stone fruits, long lovely finish.

AOC Alsace Pinot Noir 2017 HÜT

Terrior: Stony terroir, adjunction to the GC Engelberg. Pinot Noir matures in a homogeneously, resulting in a ripe phenolic maturity

Taste: Fuller, fleshy, silky tannins resutling from the aging, notes of redberry fruits.

MAISON JEAN HUTTARD

Jean Baptiste, a young owner of vines, forests and orchards, began to make wine and sell it in 1860. The family business started then and passed down from father to son. By the end of the 40's, the Jean Huttard brand was created and the vineyard was formally established. The next generation, Jean Jacques created a viable wine-growing operation and became a pioneer in many respects: from bottling wines on premises to grassing the vines around 1950 - the infantile stage of organic viticulture. He was then one of the five historic Alsatian producers to launch the Crémant d'Alsace appellation in 1974. In the 1980s, Jean Claude and Martine took over and cultivated 20 acres of vines, becoming "Independent Winegrowers". Following his father's focus on quality, Jean Claude deliberately limits the production to make even better wines and produces micro-cuvées from specific areas. The current generation Maison Jean Huttard, along with Hélène and Antoine,  converts the land to organic since 2018, showing read commitments in respecting man, terriors and landscapes. 

AOC Alsace Riesling 2017 Lerchenberg

Terrior: Lerchenberg, "the hill of the larks", is situated in Zellenberg, extending to the Grand Cru Schoenenbourg. This terroir consists of silty-sandy clay which rests on limestone marl. The rich and complex soil allows the optimum ripening of Riesling. Guyot double Poussard pruning and strict disbudding of the buds allows the reduction of yields, the distribution of the sap flow, the conservation of plant capital and the sustainability of the land. 

Taste: Citrus aromas with remarkable finesse, floral notes of white flowers and minerality on the nose, structured wine with a tad freshness, oily clementine skin, finishing with substantial minerality. 

AOC Alsace Riesling 2019 Zellenberg

Terrior: The Riesling vines are 40 years old. The terroir of these four plots of Zellenberg is mainly clay and limestone, infusing the wines with significant minerality. 

Taste: Strong expression of fruity aromas, great finesse, minerality that reflects the terroirs, notes of white flowers and lemon on the nose.

AOC Alsace Sylvaner 2019 Zellenberg

Terrior: The Riesling vines are 60 years old. The terroir of these four plots of Zellenberg is mainly clay and limestone, infusing the wines with significant minerality. This wine is the impression of the landscape and the reflection of the singularity of the terroirs.

Taste: Superb aromatic complexity, full maturity, volumous and fresh, highly gastronomic.

AOC Alsace Pinot Noir 2019 L'etreinte 

Terrior: The grapes come from three parcels characterized by clay-limestone soils. They face south-east and benefit from full sunshine. 

Taste: Aromas of red fruits, numerous tannins, full-bodied, roasted coffee, chocolate.

LES VIGNOBLES RUHLMANN-SCHUTZ

It was back in 1688 that a Hungarian knight named Ruhlmann began cultivating vines in Dambach-la-Ville. Beginning in the 1960's, Jean-charles Ruhlmann and his partner Marthe started growing grapes and produced their first commerical harvest. Nowadays, the Ruhlmann-Schutz estate cultivates 125 acres of vineyards. The richness and diversity of the terroirs allows the family to create a generous collection of Alsace fine wines, from Alsace traditional wines to Grand Cru Frankstein or Muenchberg. The family is also well known for its Crémant d'Alsace. Today, the third generation of the family composed by Jacques-Emile and Louise-Anne Ruhlmann and Thomas & Antoine Schutz is now taking over the estate. The estate is in conversion to organic farming.

AOC Alsace Grand Cru Frankstein Riesling 2018 Hve

Terrior: The Riesling rapes are from exceptional granitic soils in the Frankstein, yielding  top-notched grapes that have an crystalline golden color appearance.

Taste: Outstanding notes of citrus fruits, stunning minerality, prolonged aftertaste.

AOC Alsace Riesling 2018 Rittersberg - Scherwiller Granit "S" Hve

Terrior: The grapes are planted below the medieval ruins of the Ortenbourg de Scherwiller, with a south-east exposure, enjoying constant sunshine on a granite terroir. 

Taste: Outstanding richness and oily texture, perfect minerality, hints of citrus fruits and lemons.

AOC Alsace Grand Cru Frankstein Riesling 2018 Hve

Terrior: The Riesling rapes are from exceptional granitic soils in the Frankstein, yielding  top-notched grapes that have an crystalline golden color appearance.

Taste: Outstanding notes of citrus fruits, stunning minerality, prolonged aftertaste.

AOC Alsace Pinot Noir 2016 Cuvée a L'Ancienne Élevé en Barrique Hve

Terrior: This Pinot Noir comes from a clay-limestone terroir. The vines are planted in the middle of the slopes and their roots are very deep. The work of the soil is done in alternation. 

Taste: Slight headiness as of polished old furniture, hints of woody and cherry on the nose, fresh, sinuous and elegant, gentle grip of tannin.  

LEON BEYER

The Maison Léon Beyer is one of the oldest vineyards in the region, dating back 1580 in Eguisheim. In 1867, Emile Beyerfounded the "Maison de Vin d'Alsace" (the Alsace wine house, currently run by Léon Beyer, who took over the reins from his father Léon Beyer senior in 1959, and his son Marc. This family business, now in its 14th generation, owns some of the most renowned terroirs in Alsace. A large portion of the vineyards are in the "Grands Crus" sites of Pfersigberg and Eichberg. Wines are produced using a combination of traditional expertises and state-of-the-art equipment, setting the higest standards of quality Alsace wines that are appreciated globally.

AOC Alsace Grand Cru Eichberg Riesling 2015 R De Beyer Conventionnel

Terrior: Grapes are cultivated on the best slopes of Eichberg and the surrounding area are the raw material from which are made the prestigious Alsace wines. 

Taste: Deep, rich, full-bodied, intense, juicy, fine and flinty aroma with pithy flavors, green and yellow flavors due to schist in the ground, and cellaring potential.  

AOC Alsace Grand Cru Pfersigberg Riesling 2013 Comtes D'eguisheim Conventionnel 

Terrior: Grapes are cultivated on the best slopes of Pfersigberg and the surrounding area are the raw material from which are made the prestigious Alsace wines. 

Taste: Perfumed nose of green apple, nectarine, quince, hamomile and minerals, multilayered and complex flavors of orchard fruits, chewy extract, and finishes with bright lemony acidity and resonating minerality. 

AOC Alsace Grand Cru Eichberg Pinot Gris 2016 Comtes D'eguisheim Conventionnel 

Terrior: Eichberg. 

Taste: Rich, exotic aromas of truffle, underbrush, tropical fruit, caramel and honey, dense, juicy and rich, velvety flavors, long finish, bright and creamy, with candied pomaceous fruit note. 

AOC Alsace Grand Cru Eichberg Pinot Noir 2016 Comtes D'eguisheim Conventionnel 

Terrior: Made from 35- to 40-year-old vines that border the Eichberg. Aged 50% in used French barriques, the rest in stainless steel. 

Taste: Aromas of dark berries, black cherry, violet and flint, juicy and nicely precise, energetic blueberry and dark red cherry flavors, a tad powdered stone, textured mouthfeel and a hint of flintiness. 

To read the entire trilogy of my Alsace wine blogs, check out also my blogs on Land Sustainability and Food Compatibility!