Alsace

Domaine Henry Fuchs, RIBEAUVILLÉ, HAUT-RHIN

This splendid 10 hectare estate is run by Henri and Catherine Fuchs, with their son, Paul, now stepping in to the wine-making role with his father. Situated in the quality heartland of Alsace at Ribeauvillé, the domaine has been in the family for three generations and was one of the first to start bottling their own wines in 1945. 80% of the vineyards are situated in excellent sites in the commune of Ribeauvillé, with the remainder situated in Hunawihr and Bergheim. The Fuchs eschew the use of weed-killers or man-made fertilisers and prune very short to reduce yields. In the winery, wine is never pumped but only moved around using gravity and they only use the minimum levels of sulphur dioxide. These are wines of great purity and freshness, allowing each variety to fully express itself.

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Grand Cru Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé

To achieve Grand Cru status in Alsace, the wine must come from one of the fifty designated vineyard sites, from one vintage and from only Riesling, Muscat, Gewürztraminer or Pinot Gris. Yields are restricted to 70hl/ha (which still seems a little excessive!) and all wines must go before a tasting panel before being released on the market. The Kirchberg Grand Cru site (not to be confused with the Grand Cru Kirchberg at Barr in the Bas-Rhin) was created along with the original 25 sites selected in 1983, and covers 11.4 hectares, lying on the steep hillsides to the north of the village of Ribeauvillé, benefiting from an excellent sunshine exposure lying between 270 and 350 metres above sea-level. The clayey-stony soil is particularly suited to the Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer varieties and the overall style is one of great finesse but, with time, becoming more and more full-bodied. The wines require some time in bottle before developing their bouquets and showing their real complexity. Vendanges Tardives (late harvest/Spätlese) have their grapes picked fully-ripe and have incredible levels of concentration and extract. Séléction de Grains Nobles (SGN) (Auslese-style) is made from individually-picked grapes which are Noble Rot-affected. They are intensely sumptuous and rich.

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Domaine Bruno Sorg - EGUISHEIM

Bruno Sorg established his estate in the early sevenites and is based in Eguisheim, a charming city that seems to be full of flowers during the summer, to the south of Colmar. The estate today is run by Bruno's son François, who believes that wine is made in the vineyard and that all a wine maker needs to make good wine is top quality fruit. He, therefore, insisits on low yields which results in richly fruity wines that have flair and finesse with an amazing concentration of fruit and complexity. Of their 10 hectares of vines, half of them are to be found in grand cru vineyards.

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