Weinbach

Domaine Weinbach is located in Kaysersberg, just five miles northwest of Colmar, one of Alsace’s largest towns. In fact Domaine Weinbach dominates the village; they are the most significant producer located here, and the best examples from the nearby vineyards – which includes Grand Cru Schlossberg – frequently bear the Weinbach label.

Life at Domaine Weinbach revolves around the Clos des Capucins, which is actually a fine villa with associated clos. There is much history here; the site was once a monastery belonging to the Capuchins Friars Minor, a Franciscan order which originated in Italy in 1525. This explains the presence of a monk on the Domaine Weinbach neck labels. With the French Revolution, however, the monastery was confiscated and sold into private ownership, although the 5.2 hectare rose-bordered clos didn’t come to the Faller family, the current owners, until 1898. The first generation to run the domaine passed it on to Théo, whose wife Colette now runs the family business, with considerable assistance from daughters Catherine and Laurence. The domaine was named after the ‘wine brook’ (weinbach in the local dialect), the small river which runs through the property.

Although all the bottles of Domaine Weinbach bear the name of the Clos des Capucins, only a small number originate from the clos itself. The rest come from the Faller''''s holdings in several Grand Cru sites, including Schlossberg, at the foot of which sits the Clos de Capucins, Furstentum and Mambourg, as well as the lieu-dit Alltenbourg, situated at the foot of Furstentum. All 140 hectares are cultivated organically, with many biodynamic themes, as well as a tendency for late harvests and low yields. Fermentation occurs in old oval casks, with no malolactic fermentation, and are bottled after seven months.

Schlossberg is probably the most significant site, being the first vineyard in Alsace to have Grand Cru status approved in 1975. The steep south-facing slopes are terraced in places, and rise up behind the village of Kaysersberg; running from an altitude of 230 up to 400 metres. Here the terrain is granite, overlaid with shallow, sandy, mineral-rich soils, and this is perfect for Riesling. All the Domaine Weinbach Rieslings are grown here, except for the Riesling Réserve and Cuvée Théo which originate from the Clos des Capucins. Furstentum is a south-southeast facing site, nestled in the Kaysersberg Valley to the northeast of Schlossberg. The soils contain a mix of sandstone and marl, over limestone and a sandstone bedrock. It has more gentle slopes than Schlossberg, ranging from 300 to 400 metres, and is one of Alsace’s lesser known Grands Crus. Nevertheless, it is a superb source of Gewurztraminer for Domaine Weinbach. The nearby Altenbourg lieu-dit provides Pinot Gris as well as Gewurztraminer, both bottled as Cuvée Laurence. The vines in Mambourg, like Furstentum, are a recent purchase for the Faller Family.; they are planted on pebbly-marl soils on the south face of a limestone spur of the Vosges mountains, stretching out onto the plain of the Haut-Rhin.

The nomenclature used at Domaine Weinbach means there is great potential for confusion; there are a number of cuvées named after a variety of family members, using different grape varieties, grown in different (or sometimes the same) vineyards. Hence I provide here a synopsis of the different wines available, in the hope that this will ameliorate rather than increase the confusion. I begin with the Riesling cuvées which are the greatest in number; the range here opens with the Riesling Cuvée Théo, which is sourced from the Clos des Capucins, which is accompanied by the Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg which originates from the upper slopes of the Grand Cru Schlossberg vineyard. Then come three further special cuvées all from that vineyard; first the Riesling Cuvée Ste Catherine, from the lower slopes of Schlossberg and harvested on or around Ste Catherine’s Day, which is November 25th. Second, the Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg Cuvée Ste Catherine (I did warn you that this can be confusing) which comes from old vines on the mid-slope in Schlossberg, and lastly there is the Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg Cuvée Ste Catherine L’Inedit. This is a special cuvée produced only in certain vintages; the name l’inedit translates as ''''original one''''.

After Riesling come Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. The Tokay Pinot Gris Cuvée Ste Catherine is sourced from old vines in the Clos des Capucins, but other Pinot Gris cuvées come from lieu-dit Altenbourg. The Tokay Pinot Gris Cuvée Laurence is sourced from old vines on the marly limestone soil at the foot of the vineyard, whereas the Tokay Pinot Gris Altenbourg Cuvée Laurence comes from the main part of the Altenbourg plot. In a similar vein, although the Gewurztraminer Cuvée Théo originates from the Clos des Capucins, the remaining cuvées are predominantly from Altenbourg again. The Gewurztraminer Cuvée Laurence comes from the marly limestone soil at the foot of the lieu-dit, and for the Gewurztraminer Altenbourg Cuvée Laurence again the fruit comes from the main part of the Altenbourg plot, both wines directly analogous to the Pinot Gris cuvées bearing the same nomenclature. After this trio, however, there is also the Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Furstentum Cuvée Laurence which comes from Grand Cru Furstentum, which lies higher up the same slope as the Altenbourg lieu-dit.

Finally there are other wines beyond these three varieties. There is a Sylvaner Réserve from the Clos des Capucins, a Pinot Réserve, which is a blend of fruit from the Clos des Capucins and from vines on the aforementioned marly limestone soil at the foot of the Altenbourg lieu-dit. The Muscat Réserve is a similar blend, and there is also a lone red wine, the Pinot Noir Réserve, which is sourced from the Clos des Capucins and Schlossberg. There are also Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles cuvées, although many regard the greatest and rarest wines to be the Quintessences de Grains Nobles, special cuvées first bottled in 1983.

Although this run-down of wines and names seems almost guaranteed to confuse, there should be no confusion as to the quality of what is in the bottle. Domaine Weinbach have produced some of the finest examples of Alsace to ever pass my lips, and they should grace the cellar of any fan of this wine region. I must confess that I have to wrestle with my wallet a little before buying the wines today, as prices seem to have risen so dramatically in recent years, but whenever I encounter a bottle it is almost guaranteed to yield pure and vibrant pleasure. I only wish that such encounters could occur a little more frequently. (25/1/05, updated 17/9/08)

Contact details:
Address: 25, route du Vin, 68240 Kaysersberg
Telephone: +33 (0) 3 89 47 13 21
Fax: +33 (0) 3 89 47 38 18
Internet: www.domaineweinbach.com