Domaine Weinbach’s 2013 Vintage Report

It was with great sadness that we visited Domaine Weinbach this year as there would be a noticeable absence from the vintage presentation after Laurence Faller’s tragically early death in May 2014. Laurence had been admired by all who came to know her, and her talent for winemaking was well documented. She had a prodigious talent and was recognised by wine drinkers around the world, as well as her peers, as one of Alsace’s brightest lights. Her immediate family included her two children and her sister Catherine and mother Colette, the latter two both remaining at the estate, Catherine remaining very much hands on. Catherine’s son Theo will continue to look after the vineyards, as he has done for a number of years, while the current cellar master will continue the work he’s done for over ten years. They have suffered a very sad loss this year, but Laurence leaves the estate in good shape and excellent hands.

The climatic conditions of 2013 were challenging. The weather in May was particularly cold and miserable, delaying flowering, and giving rise to ‘coulure’ across the whole spectrum of varieties. From the off the harvest looked set to be late, and low yielding. July and August here were warm and hot, punctuated by useful bouts of rainfall, the vines managing to regain a little lost time in these two months, so long as vegetative growth was kept in check. By the time September arrived the vineyards were in good condition and as a result of some fine even September weather, and cool nights, the grapes approached ripeness with excellent acidities intact and vibrant fruit profiles.

Harvest eventually started on 3rd October, a touch later than usual and lasted through to the end of October. As a result of the disastrous flowering, the estates yields averaged a mere 28 hl/ha, with Riesling and Muscat the two most affected varieties.

Now in bottle, the dominant characteristics in 2013 are freshness and vitality. However, this is not a lightweight vintage. “I think you can apply the term juicy to 2013” Catherine noted, and they are, but there is also more to them that that. From Sylvaner to the top Gewurztraminers, these wines have complex personalities, rich voices, and very clear finishes. There is very little fat, though of course there is opulence where opulence is called for (as is the case in some of the top Gewurztraminers) moreover, there is moreish fruit enveloping great ripe acidity and typical Weinbach elegance. The Schlossberg Rieslings, what little there are of them, are particularly clear, mineral and incisive.

So a very fine vintage of decisive, well defined wines that have the intensity, character and acidity to cellar well into the next decade. One final song from the late Laurence Faller (1967 – 2014).

Domaine Weinbach : Praises sung on jancisrobinson.com

Following a recent visit to Domaine Weinbach, Richard Hemming, regular contributor to Jancis Robinson's Purple Pages (www.jancisrobinson.com), found much to praise about the wines of Domaine Weinbach. In fact, having visited the 10 most prestigious wineries in Alsace, he appears to have come back enamoured with Weinbach more than any other Domaine. Herewith his comments in full:

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Catherine Faller discusses the 2008 vintage for Domaine Weinbach

Catherine Faller's wines always appear on the final table at our Burgundy tasting and invariably offer respite and refreshment to the weary taster after 150+ Burgundies. That some tasters simply run out of steam before reaching them is a crying shame as a trip to the Weinbach table is always a memorable one. From the Pinot Blanc to the Vendage Tardives the Weinbach range is consistently inbued with deep elegance and finesse. The 2008s, alive with the most wonderful acidity, were a joy to taste last week.

Alsace 2009 : An in depth harvest report from Domaine Weinbach

On his recent visit, Giles kindly inquired about our 2009 harvest at Domaine Weinbach and I am happy to share our impressions with you.

The potential of the new vintage is very high across our range of terroirs and grape varieties, with very healthy, beautifully ripe grapes and extremely pure aromas. The second half of August was hot and September was warm, both contributing to excellent maturities after the very mild weather conditions we had in April and May and despite a very damp July. August weather brought fears that total acidities would be too low but they are equivalent in most cases to the ones we experienced in 2005 and 2007 and the impression derived from the tastings is very fine. The maturities are optimal, both in sugar richness and in taste (phenolic) knowing that the grape skins were thicker than usual because of the lack of rain at the end of the season. In addition to their richness, the wines show freshness, juiciness and beautiful aromatic profiles. Because of the thick skins and dry conditions, botrytis (noble rot) was scarce and took time to develop in the most favorable terroirs. In return, it stayed incredibly pure and fresh. Due to its small proportion, ” tries ” (selections) needed to be extremely severe to produce tiny volumes of very high quality Sélections de Grains Nobles. Beautiful Vendanges Tardives, in of course much lesser quantities than 2005, were harvested showing great elegance of constitution.

The weather during harvest was a dream. We started on September 14 with our Pinot Noir: incredible colour, fruit and richness. We then paused for 10 days before picking Auxerrois and Pinot Blanc, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Sylvaner. On September 29, we harvested our first Riesling and Gewurztraminer (both Cuvée Théo). This started the “heart” of our harvest and until October 7, we picked all our remaining Pinot Gris (including Vendanges Tardives, Sélections de Grains Nobles and Quintessence de Grains Nobles), all our Rieslings (including a beautiful Sélection de Grains Nobles in the Schlossberg) except a plot in the Altenbourg and all our Gewurztraminer except Altenbourg, Grands Crus Furstentum and Mambourg. The night of October 7 saw the first (moderate: 7 mm) rain in almost two months. The temperatures all along harvest had stayed between 18°C and 27°C with not even a hint of morning dew which can sometimes have the same "diluting" effect as light rain. Then, a week and just a couple of more mm rain later, on October 14 and 15, Gewurztraminer Altenbourg (“regular” as well as Vendanges Tardives Trie Spéciale and Quintessence de Grains Nobles), Gewurztraminer Furstentum regular and Vendanges Tardives. On October 20, a rich Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Mambourg Vendanges Tardives and to conclude on October 28, a beautiful first Riesling Altenbourg Vendanges Tardives.

To conclude I would like to say that we have been blessed with a series of excellent vintages: our brand new 2009 but also 2007 and 2008.

Let us wish you and your families a Merry Christmas, a joyful holiday Season and all very good things in the New Year to come.

Laurence Faller,

Domaine Weinbach