2022 Weinbach - Les Vignes du Precheur (750ml)

Domaine Weinbach began as a winery built in 1612 by Capuchin monks on vineyard land near Kaysersberg that had been cultivated since the 9th century. Acquired by the Faller brothers in 1898, the estate passed to Théo Faller, whose wife Colette and daughters Catherine and Laurence carried the domaine forward after his death in 1979. Catherine Faller has led Weinbach since 2016 together with her sons Eddy and Théo, and the estate has farmed its full 38 hectares organically and biodynamically since 2005.

Les Vignes du Précheur is a co-fermented blend of five Alsatian grapes, roughly 40 percent Riesling with Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, Muscat, and Sylvaner rounding out the mix. The fruit comes from the Prediger lieu-dit, a stretch of sandy, clay-flecked pebble soil that sits just below the Grand Cru Kaefferkopf. Grapes are picked by hand, pressed gently as whole bunches, and fermented together with native yeasts in old oak barrels, then aged roughly ten months before bottling.

The result is a wine of white flowers, peach, and apricot, full-bodied yet light on its feet, with a lively acid structure that carries through to a long, faintly saline finish. It is a versatile bottle for the table, equally suited to an aperitif hour or a meal. Pour it alongside an onion tart, a warm goat cheese salad, or a simple seafood plate.