2023 Weinbach - Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg Ste. Catherine MAG (1.5L)

The Faller family has tended Domaine Weinbach since 1898, when the brothers who bought the estate handed it down to Théo Faller, a driving force behind Alsace's push for Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée recognition. After Théo's death in 1979, his wife Colette and daughters Catherine and Laurence kept the domaine's standards intact, and Catherine Faller has led the estate since 2016 alongside her sons Eddy and Théo. The whole property has been farmed under organic and biodynamic methods since 2005, with plot-by-plot vinification designed to let each terroir speak on its own terms.

Schlossberg holds a singular place in Alsace, having been the region's first vineyard classified Grand Cru, by decree in 1975, after centuries of recognition dating to the 15th century. This cuvée is built from five plots of vines over sixty years old, rooted in a granite bedrock of migmatite that runs sandy and mineral-rich, shallower near the 400-meter crest and deeper toward the 230-meter base. The steep, south-facing slope requires terraced farming, and grapes are hand-picked before a slow, native-yeast fermentation shapes the wine.

The 2023 shows a flinty edge of reduction laid over fine pear and citrus, with a palate that is juicy, light, and stony, carried by a zesty tension that gives it real precision. The finish has a crystalline clarity that rewards patience as much as immediate drinking. Serve it with fresh crab, poached halibut, or a delicately roasted game bird.