Domaine Henri Fuchs

Henri and Catherine Fuchs are in their mid-fifties and the third generation of the family to run this splendid 10 hectare domaine situated in the quality heartland of Alsace at Ribeauvillé, a village renowned for its rich and opulent dry white wines. Established in 1922, the Fuchs’ family estate was one of the first to start bottling their own wines in 1945. Their vineyards are mainly situated in excellent sites throughout the commune of Ribeauvillé, with a further 20% to be found in the neighbouring communes of Hunawihr and Bergheim. In 2005, Henri and Catherine’s son, Paul, took over the day-to-day running of the estate and is now entirely responsible for the wine-making.

The Fuchs use no weed-killers or man-made fertilisers on their vineyards (where vines have an average age of 40 years) which goes a long way to restricting yields, but they also prune very ‘tightly’ so that their final ‘rendement’ (yield) is at least 15% below the village average. As from 2008, the domaine began converting to totally organic production. In the winery, Paul avoids the use of pumps, preferring to rely on gravity to move his wine around, thereby reducing its contact with air. Sulphur dioxide is avoided during the fermentation and only added in minimal quantities following racking and filtration. The Fuchs’ wines always have an intensity and purity of fruit that makes them stick out from the crowd. The beautiful and concentrated Vendanges Tardives and SGN are collector’s items whilst the Grand Cru Kirchberg trio are powerful and concentrated but exhibit great vivacity accompanied by a zesty minerality and freshness. The classic Riesling “Equinoxe” is sourced from 50 year old vines on steep south-east facing hillside vineyards next to the Grand Cru Kirchberg. The Pinot Gris “Tzigane” is a complex, mandarin orange-tinged example with 16g/litre residual sugar.

Producers Featured Wine

Riesling Equinoxe, 2007 Outstanding clean and spicy floral nose with a hint of cordite. Extremely concentrated on the palate, however it still has a lot of freshness and light 'mouthfeel', bursting with elegant lime fruit. Very complex, organic, character, some tropical notes, superb finesse and sophistication and with fantastic length. £11.48 per bottle