Vine Path Blog 7/20: Domaine Marc Kreydenweiss
Vine Path Blog 7/20 Domaine Marc Kreydenweiss
If you know us well enough, then you know that we’re running a public crusade to make everyone drink Riesling and appreciate it for all it’s glory. Part of that struggle is getting people to recognize and consider the amazing wines that are (and have been for a long time!) coming out of France’s Alsace region. Well, considering how damn hot it’s been out, this month we’re demonstrating a proof of concept: Riesling rules and so do the wines of Alsace. Our evidence? The amazing wines of Domaine Marc Kreydenweiss.
A view from a vineyard in Andlau, Alsace.
Alsace is in far eastern France right up against the border with Germany. It’s separated from its German neighbors by a mountain range called the Vosges, which creates a rain shadow over the entire Alsace region. This helps to keep the climate in the region moderated and dry. This is perfect for the Alsacian vignerons since they need a long, dry season in order to take complete advantage of the local grape varieties possibility.
Marc Kreydenweiss (right) with his family in Andlau.
Domaine Marc Kreydenweiss is located in the town of Andlau, in Piemont des Vosges, in the north-central section of Alsace. The Domaine was established in 1971 by Marc Kreydenweiss, a Alsace local with a 300 year family history of grape growing in the region. Marc’s attitude towards winemaking demonstrates this legacy, with an emphasis on homeopathic agricultural practices. The Kreydenweiss approach to the vineyard is a tender one. They don’t use any machines in the vineyard, instead they rely on the help of a single percheron horse to do all the heavy labor in the vineyards. The vineyards have never been treated with chemicals, the grapes are all hand harvested, and the wines are all made unfined, unfiltered, and are often completely free of SO2.
Look at that beautiful horse!
Domaine Marc Kreydenweiss Andlau Riesling 2018
What better place to start this journey than with Alsace’s principle grape, Riesling. This wine comes from a vineyard in the limits of Andlau that crosses through the noble Grand Cru site of Wiebelsberg. Alsace, like Burgundy, designates it’s finest vineyards Grand Cru. Combined, Alsace’s 51 Grand Cru sites only account for 8% of the total plantings in the region. That’s what makes this ‘generic’ Alsace Riesling so special and why it’s a great introduction to what Alsace Riesling should be. Bracing acidity, rippingly dry, intense on the nose with pungent notes of flowers and petrol, zest and juice, all wrapped up in stoney minerality, that’s what Riesling is all about!
Domaine Marc Kreydenweiss Kritt Pinot Blanc 2017
Alsace isn’t just known for amazing Riesling, it also produces incredible examples of Pinot Blanc, one of the earth’s most ancient grape varieties. Confusingly, in Alsace the label ‘Pinot Blanc’ can be slapped on any white wine made from Pinot varieties. This example however, is 100% true Pinot Blanc through and through. Pinot Blanc is characterized by its unique mixture of ripe citrus and stone fruit tones, as well as its high acidity, rich texture, notable minerality, and full body. Kritt is all of that and more.
Domaine Marc Kreydenweiss Pinot Boir Rouge 2018
In 2015 the Domaine released its first ever red wine, the Pinot Boir Rouge. By 2018 they had demonstrated a clear understanding of how to manage Pinot Noir in Alsace. This is the first vintage of Pinot Noir from Kreydenweiss to make it to MA and I’m thrilled to have it. This wine is designed to be a fresh, early drinking expression of Pinot Noir and while that is true, this wine is too complicated to explain in this way. It shows off flashy, bright and exciting cherry, raspberry, cranberry, fruit tones at the same time that its nose indicates smoky, meaty, mushroomy, earthiness. This is the kind of Pinot Noir that you want to drink all of the time. It also works well with a light chill.
A Pinot Blanc vine in Kastelberg Grand Cru.
Domaine Marc Kreydenweiss La Fontaine Aux Enfants Cru d’Alsace 2018
Remember when we were talking about the Grand Crus before? Well this here is one of them. La Fontaine Aux Enfants is a blend of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Auxerrois, an esoteric grape that’s only really found here in Alsace, harvested from the highest vineyard rows of the Andlau Grand Cru Kastelberg. The wine is aged in super old (80-100 year) old large oak barrels for 10 months before bottling, which helps to soften the blow of this super high toned wine while opening up the true expression of the fruit. This wine is concentrated, rich, and full, with ripe and juicy fruit tones, super high acidity, body stoney-ness, tart citrus, and lovely tea and flower-like aromatics. If you don’t like this then you’ll never understand Alsace.
Castel Andlau in the magic hour.