2022 Weinbach - Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Furstentum MAG (1.5L)

Domaine Weinbach has been rooted in Kaysersberg since 1898, when the Faller brothers acquired the estate's walled vineyard, the Clos des Capucins, and set about restoring it. Théo Faller went on to secure parcels in several of Alsace's top Grand Cru sites, and today his granddaughter Catherine Faller directs the domaine with her sons Eddy and Théo, farming the full 38-hectare estate under certified biodynamic practices since 2005, a commitment to soil health that shows clearly in wines of this caliber.

The Furstentum Grand Cru sits in the northern part of Alsace, between the villages of Kientzheim and Sigolsheim, on a steep slope roughly 400 meters up where the vineyard was first recorded in monastic records as early as 1330. Limestone-marl soils, shallow and stony, give the site its distinctive mineral backbone, and the Gewurztraminer vines planted here are close to ninety years old. Grapes are picked by hand with careful selection, pressed as whole clusters, and fermented slowly with native yeasts in large old oak foudres before resting on the lees to build texture.

This is a powerful, concentrated Gewurztraminer, layered with lychee, candied citrus, ripe pear, and table grape, backed by warm spice and a firm streak of minerality that keeps the richness in check. The finish is long and precise rather than heavy. It suits foie gras terrine, roast duck with a ginger glaze, or a wedge of aged Munster, and it holds its own alongside dishes built on cardamom, clove, or star anise.