2021 Domaine Durrmann Grand Cru Wiebelsberg Cuvée Nature
WINEMAKER: André Durrmann
REGION: Alsace, FR
VARIETY: Riesling
VITICULTURE: Certified Organic/Biodynamic
Riesling from the Grand Cru slopes of Wiebelsberg (The Women's Hill, an ode to the dedicated nuns that first cultivated Andlau in 880AD) which is close to the Crax Hill & at the edge of the Kastelberg Grand Cru plots. Certified organic & dry farmed. Hand harvested & direct pressed. Fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeast & matured in 3000L neutral foudre for 12 months on gross lees. No filtration & zero additions.
This is the most mineral driven of Yann's 3 Grand Crus & currently displays a lovely white floral, exotic spice & a fresh lime/green apple edge. Acidity is very high but balanced perfectly here. Ready to drink now, but will benefit with some patience & time. A resolved Riesling, of the utmost pedigree & intrigue.
Tucked away among the picturesque vistas of the storied Alsace region, lies the charming winemaking village of Andlau. A beautiful village nestled on the first slopes of the Vosges Mountains south-west of Strasbourg by 30 minutes, which is renowned for its rich viticultural heritage. Settled in the year 880AD by a monastery of nuns, a place where grapes have been cultivated for more than a thousand years! Andlau stands as a testament to centuries of winemaking tradition & innovation - and here lies Domaine Durrmann.
Domaine Durrmann was established in 1979 with a mere 1.5Ht undervine, inherited from André Durrmann's grandfather who worked as a shoemaker, to supplement his vinous & mixed farming pursuits. The absence of entrenched winemaking customs may have posed initial challenges to Anna & André Durrmann, but it also gifted them the freedom to forge a path unbound by convention.
Enter Yann Durrmann, heir to this rich legacy, who has trodden the vineyard rows since childhood & now steers the Domaine's helm with great conviction. Concerned with the preservation of their surrounds, Domaine Durrmann has been certified organic since 1998. They consider their farm as a single organism, an ecosystem in which they maintain a balance between their various flora of vines, fruit trees for juice & Eau de Vie, and grass for grazing sheep. Durrmann's vineyards are dry grown, rooted in steep & rocky slopes where their soils are left covered with grass to prevent soil erosion & to help maintain a balanced soil microbiome - maintaining their natural fertility & encouraging biodiversity.