2022 Domaine Durrmann Riesling sur Calcaire Cuvée Nature

WINEMAKER: André Durrmann
REGION: Alsace, FR
VARIETY: Riesling
VITICULTURE: Certified Organic/Biodynamic

Direct pressed Riesling from their free draining limestone terroir, the Brandhof vineyard - certified organic & dry farmed. Hand harvested early for freshness in a warm year. Pressed slow & gently over six hours. Fermentation by indigenous yeasts in stainless steel, matured for 9 months on gross lees in tank prior to bottling. Unfined & unfiltered.

Maybe my pick of the isolated terroir Rieslings. Screams of limestone, transparent purity harnessing immense varietal character, with a strong mineral presence laced with wild meadow florals, sherbet, lemon balm & lime. Purity & energy, ahoy!

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.