Published by Jeremy.
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To say that we love Alsatian wine is an understatement. It is one of our favorite wine regions, not just in France, but anywhere in the world.
World-class Riesling? Yep. Stellar Pinot Gris? You know it. Even some sparkling Cremant? There really is a lot to love about Alsace!
During our visit, we got a chance to check out six great wineries in Alsace, and wanted to share a bit more about each in this one.
Note: Wineries in Alsace tend to have limited tasting appointments. Unless otherwise noted, contact wineries significantly far in advance when inquiring about tasting times. Most wineries we visited were not set up to accommodate walk-ins.
Marcel Deiss
We have been big fans of Marcel Deiss' Complantation for many years now, as their approach to terroir-driven field blends is a bit uncharacteristic for Alsace- a region that has a strong focus on varietally pure wine production.
Visiting this one is a treat, as our tasting let us sample nearly a dozen wines, most of which we had not seen available in the USA before our visit.
The neat thing about a tasting at Deiss is that they like to talk about wine regarding the terroir and how the blends influence broad structure- not so much specific tasting notes. We are talking mouthfeel, acid, heft/texture, etc., as opposed to flavor characteristics like citrus, tropical fruit, minerals, etc.
When tying their blends to the soil, you really get an appreciation for how bottles, even some with the same grape makeup and viniculture practices, can differ so dramatically, all because one was grown in a more chalky soil, whereas another was grown in a more iron-rich soil. Yes, we could then talk about the flavor differences, but it was certainly insightful to take a broader look at the structure all the same.
We would've bought the whole lineup here, but left with several, including the Schoffweg and Altenberg de Bergheim Grand Cru- two very lovely bottles we cannot recommend enough.
Marcel Deiss is located at 15 Route du Vin in Bergheim.
Domaine Weinbach
Our visit to Domaine Weinbach only had enough time for a tasting, and not only was it the final winery of our trip, but it was also the most anticipated.
The drive into Weinbach is a real treat as you pass their famed Clos de Capucins vineyard, where many of our favorite bottles have come from.
During our visit, we sampled roughly 10 bottles, starting with the winery's Pinot Noir, moving on to a selection of Riesling (almost all of which we had tried at some point in the States), and finishing with more obscure bottles of their Pinot Gris (including Grand Cru sites) and Gewurztraminer.
Although we had previously fallen in love with Weinbach for their Riesling, and it was the main reason we scheduled our visit, the Pinot Gris collection here is just as high quality and should be hailed just as highly (if not more so) and in the same breath. Weinbach's Grand Cru Pinot Gris bottles are among the best we've had in all of Alsace, and you know we brought some bottles to enjoy at home later!
Our only regret here was that while Weinbach makes Riesling from other Grand Cru sites beyond the ones we were familiar with, we couldn't sample any during our tasting. But being able to sample their Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer more than made up for it.
Domaine Weinbach is located at 23 Route du Vin in Kientzheim.
Albert Seltz
Albert Seltz' family has been making wine for nearly 500 years, and can be found in the cute town of Mittelbergheim.
Although the winery produces all the classic varietals that Alsace is famous for, their hallmark is the lesser-produced Sylvaner, where they use the grape to create numerous styles, have vineyard plots in the only Grand Cru site in Alsace for the grape, and a massive library collection of aged bottles as well.
A tasting here really shows the grape's versatility, with all manner of flavor and style expression. When we reached the Grand Cru level, we were truly blown away by the intensity as it was something we hadn't truly experienced from Sylvaner before.
Our tasting also coincided with a tour of their incredible cellar, where we were shown how beautiful Sylvaner is as it ages. Thankfully, Albert Seltz has many library wines on hand to sell, and we picked up a few older bottles, 1994 and 2000, to take home with us to see how this one tastes with sufficient age. If only we had more suitcase room!
Albert Seltz is located at 21 Rue Principale in Mittelbergheim.
Domaine Trimbach
Domaine Trimbach in Ribeauville is one of the most famous wineries in Alsace, and for good reason- their wines are exquisite!
We got in for a brief tasting here, which included sampling through 10 or so bottles, including their Cuvee 7 Pinot Noir, several Rieslings, including Grand Cru bottles we have never seen in the USA, vendages tardives Gewurztraminer (we left with a bottle of this one!), and so much more.
Our skilled host did an excellent job walking us through how Trimbach approaches winemaking for each bottle, and expertly described the flavors and other notes that could be found on the palate- so much so that when we asked about other Grand Cru Riesling bottles we didn't sample, the description of one bottle (Grand Cru Mandelberg), was enough to get us to buy two sight unseen.
Trimbach was quite a nice visit for us to get to sample bottles that we very rarely see available in the USA, and really let us help appreciate their premium bottle line much more.
Domaine Trimbach is located at 15 Route de Bergheim in Ribeauville.
Cave du Ribeauville
Cave du Ribeauville in the town of the same name (just a few blocks from Trimbach) is one of the oldest wine co-ops in France.
Their tasting room and onsite museum feel a bit like a wine welcome center as much as it is a tasting room for a winery, so much so that you may not give it a second glance when looking it up. But when you walk in, you'll quickly see that they have a massive assortment of bottles available not only to purchase (at incredible prices), but to taste too.
We thought we were stopping in to try a handful of wines and ended up trying close to 15 with themed flights of nearly every Grand Cru bottle produced, from every major grape, plus a selection of a few aged Selection du Grain Nobiles (sweeter wines due to the grapes being afflicted with noble rot before harvesting). Naturally, given the reasonable price for fairly old SGNs, we walked away with a few to take home, too.
Not a bad add-on just for walking in without needing an appointment!
Cave du Ribeauville is located at 2 Route de Colmar in Ribeauville.
Domaine Mure
Domaine Mure in Rouffach is the kind of winery that has something for everyone. Whether you like Pinot Noir, Riesling, Pinot Gris, sparkling Cremant, vendages tardives, and more, they have a large portfolio of everything you could ask for.
During our tasting, we stayed primarily with the Grand Cru side of the portfolio, and really fell in love with the Riesling Zinnkoepfle and Pinot Gris Clos Saint Landelin vendages tardives in particular, as well as their sparkling Cremant Grand Millésime 2019. The sparkling was quite interesting because it was a mix of Riesling and Chardonnay and had quite the impressive lees notes that would give some Champagne houses a run for their money!
While visiting, be sure to check out the vineyards nearby for some striking views!
Domaine Mure is located at Départementale 83, 68250 in Rouffach.
Do you have a favorite winery in Alsace that you have visited? Comment below to share!