2022 Weinbach - Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg Ste. Catherine MAG (1.5L)

Domaine Weinbach sits at the foot of the Schlossberg hill in Kaysersberg, on an estate built by Capuchin monks in 1612 atop vineyard land cultivated since the 9th century. The Faller brothers acquired the property in 1898 and passed it to Théo Faller, whose wife Colette and daughters Catherine and Laurence carried the domaine forward after his death in 1979. Catherine Faller now runs Weinbach with her sons Eddy and Théo, farming the estate organically and biodynamically since 2005, with a particular focus on the Schlossberg, the vineyard most closely tied to the domaine's reputation.

Schlossberg was the first vineyard in Alsace named a Grand Cru, recognized by decree in 1975 after centuries of renown dating back to the 15th century. This cuvée draws on five plots of vines over sixty years old, planted on a granite bedrock of migmatite that turns sandy and mineral-rich, shallow near the top of the slope and deeper toward the bottom. Grapes are hand-picked, pressed as whole clusters, fermented with native yeasts, and aged in old oak casks, producing a wine named for the feast of Sainte Catherine, when harvest traditionally took place.

The wine shows ripe lemon, tropical fruit, and a whisper of smoke, with a taut, stony backbone that keeps the fruit precise rather than showy. The finish is long, saline, and intensely mineral. Pair it with seared scallops, roast veal, or an aged Gruyère.