…an outstanding expression of both the freshness and the richness of Alsace!

The 2015 Alsace Blanc is field blend composed of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Beurot, Pinot Noir, Sylvaner, Muscat d’Alsace (white and red), Muscat à Petit Grain, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Traminer, Chasselas, Chasselas Rose that are interplanted, harvested, pressed (whole cluster) and vinified together. The vines were planted between 1980-2010 at 8,000 vines per ha. Fruit comes from multiple Bergheim vineyards with clay-limestone soil, including younger vines from Premier Cru parcels. The vineyards are certified organic (Ecocert) and biodynamic.  The grapes were fermented with indigenous yeast and aged on fine lees for 1 year.

My Tasting Notes follow:

Color – Golden yellow
Aromas – Golden delicious apple, peach, honeysuckle, and lanolin
Body – Medium-full bodied, and approaching off-dry with mouth-watering acidity
Taste – Ripe yellow peach, baked apple, Meyer lemon, Mandarin orange and subtle spice flavors
Finish – Medium-long

90pts|13% abv|SRP – $19.99| Sample purchased for review

I’m a huge fan of field blend wines.  But with the France’s reputation for planting the right grape in the right place based upon decades, if not centuries of experience, finding this wine was a pleasant surprise.  It is an outstanding expression of both the freshness and the richness of Alsace!

Pair with: This wine was great with take-out Thai.  The combination of richness and acidity make this a very food friendly wine.  Also consider pairing with seafood, pasta dishes with cream sauce, or fish!

About Domaine Marcel Deiss

From the importer…No one will argue that Deiss is among the top two or three domaines of Alsace. As to the rest, Jean-Michel Deiss is what the French call, a fouteur de merde, a shit-stirrer. After an old man on his deathbed entrusted him with one of Alsace’s gems, the Schoenenbourg vineyard, Jean-Michel found that it was planted to an old field blend or “co-plantation.” He soon realized that this was the missing link in his quest for great wine and he replanted every single one of his top vineyards to such blends. Though this had once been the norm in Alsace, by the time Jean-Michel planted his grand crus to field blends, it was a technique reserved to lowly wines. Then, he took on the Alsatian cru system. Too many grand crus, and too large at that, but no premier crus was idiotic, he thought, and he self-appointed seven of his top vineyards “premier crus.” When you taste them, it makes crystalline sense, but this is technically an illegal practice and Jean-Michel has been battling the authorities ever since. His latest concern is to have ancient but currently illegal Alsatian varieties added to the list of authorized grapes. A troublemaker indeed, but the wines are absolutely magical.

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