Situated at the base of Alsace’s first Grand Cru vineyard – Schlossberg – is Domaine Weinbach. Established as a winery in 1612, Domaine Weinbach is widely considered one of the greatest wine estates of the region. The Faller family, who have been the proprietors since 1898, have been farming organically since 1990 and since 2005 all 28 estate-owned hectares have transitioned to biodynamics.
With a myriad of Grand Cru sites under their umbrella including Schlossberg, Furstentum, and Mambourg, they produce some of Alsace’s most profound Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Gris wines. One of the most heralded sites is the monopole Le Clos des Capucins, a 5-hectare plot which dates to 890AD. The walled enclosure was gifted to the Capuchin friars and quickly thereafter planted as a vineyard in 1612 with Alsatian varieties.
Today their wines consistently garner praise from critics and aficionados, particularly their Riesling – which is always dry unless a late harvest style – and their Gewürztraminer – which always has some residual sugar. The cuvée names of Catherine, Colette, Théo are all family names, marking their impact on the winery. The RWO and MVO cuvées are new to the repertoire and include zero additions (no preservatives).