We had been thinking for a long time that we had to go back to Alsace to say hello to all the winemakers we work with. Alsace, in June, is really beautiful. The sun illuminates the hillsides of the sub-Vosges, the medieval villages are embellished by the geraniums and the vineyard is in full growth, especially this year! Storms + sun + heat = Amazonian vine. If hail does not fall between now and the harvest, the crop could be historic. Let's keep our fingers crossed because the winemakers need a good year to recover from the difficult conditions of the past years.
Tuesday June 5th : visit, tasting and dinner at Christian BINNER's in Ammerschwihr
Christian BINNER is one of the first winemakers in Petitescaves. For years he has been making wines without sulfur and preaching the good word for living wines, without inputs. Arriving at his place at the end of the afternoon, we went into the vineyards to feel the terroir. Even though we know the area well, we are still blown away by the beauty of the Alsatian vineyard. These slopes in limit of forests, which go down towards very preserved villages. Besides, it is a strong tradition in Alsace, especially among the wine growers. One is often the son or daughter of one's father winemaker, there are very few "neo-rural winegrowers" in Alsace. Christian regrets it because it allows to bring in new blood but the wine growing land is so expensive in Alsace that it is complicated for a young person to set up ex-nihilo.
During our walk in the vineyards, we admire the slopes of Kaefferkopf and Schlossberg, 2 great vintages well known by the amateurs. With Christian, we talk a lot about soil work. The winegrowers try a lot of experiments, exchange, start again... Christian has sown leguminous plants, cereals and medicinal plants. This gives a very present but very airy cover, much less dense and water consuming than grass. Christian even imagines harvesting the cereals between the vines in a few years! We also talk about biodynamics while observing a collaborator of Winery spraying preparations of horsetail, nettle and whey.
Back to the cellar to taste on barrels and what a cellar! Born from Christian's imagination, this cellar was created from scratch to have the best conditions to vinify and preserve the wine. Inside, we are impressed by the huge blocks of pink Vosges sandstone from a nearby quarry. The temperature is cool and constant and Christian has noticed that the yeasts have appeared very early. No more problems with the fermentation of the vintages after the harvest!
Wednesday June 6th : visit, tasting and lunch at Patrick BINNER's in Nothalten
Patrick and Mireille MEYER welcome us so kindly that we feel like family. This great family of natural, living wines, without inputs, in which we have met Patrick for a long time. He has become almost a myth, a reference in biodynamics and the natural approach to vineyards and wine. When you ask him about his favorite subjects, he pauses, thinks and launches into a fascinating talk from which you can't get out because you drink in his words. Not always easy to follow, but one feels an elevation, a true communion with nature, which allows to understand Patrick's wines.
In the vineyards, Patrick is inexhaustible about soil cultivation, or rather what to sow to avoid over-working the soil. As with Christian Binner, we find legumes, cereals and camomile. These seedlings can last for several years and only need to be covered from time to time and sometimes a harrowing is needed. The vines next to Patrick's are chemically treated and we compare the leaves. There is no doubt that there is a real radiance, a real light in the leaves of Patrick's vines which are biodynamic. The same goes for a chamomile whose perfume is incomparable with the one that grows in the neighbor's garden. We are in the garden, we want to stay for hours to contemplate ...
Wednesday, June 6: walk in the vineyards, tasting and dinner at Catherine RISS (Bernardvillé, Reichsfeld and Nothalten)
Catherine RISS is one of the exceptions in Alsace because she did not take over a family vineyard. After a solid experience of wine making at Chapoutier in Alsace, Catherine took over a few hectares between Bernardvillé and Nothalten. We are already far from the plain of Alsace and we can see the mountains starting at the end of the parcels. It is cooler here, the grapes ripen later and hail is often a problem because of the nearby mountains. Moreover when we arrive in vineyards, the storm bursts at once and we return quickly in the car not to be soaked! The slopes are steep, Catherine works mainly her soils by hand with a local woman that she employs part-time. When we find her, Catherine has just digged a whole day. It takes a lot of courage to be winemaker nature today!!!
Thursday, June 7: walk in the vineyards and tasting at Christophe LINDENLAUB (Dorlisheim)
Thursday, June 7: walk in the vineyards and tasting at Antoine KREYDENWEISS (Andlau)
