2022 Domaine Durrmann ZEGWUR Cuvée Nature

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

Gewurtztraminer grapes were harvested by hand. 25% of the grapes were macerated for 3 weeks. The other 75% underwent a slow press for 6 hours. Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeast. Matured on gross lees in tank for 9 months prior to bottling. Unfined & unfiltered.

A juicy, direct & textured expression of Gewurtztraminer grown on certified organic, dry farmed granite & sandstone soils. Musk, tropical fruit & floral notes. Fermented to a dry & pithy style. The family used to make a sweet wine from this fruit, alas, Yann wanted to do things a little differently so picks earlier which gives the wine a high aromatic profile. The cuvée that first piqued my interest, the catalyst for our relationship with Domaine Durrmann, discovered in the very best caves of Paris' natural wine scene.

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.