Domaine Kreydenweiss 'Weibelsberg' Grand Cru Riesling 2017

Limestone
Unctuous
On Horseback through the Swiss Alps

Slow pressing of whole bunches, alcoholic and malolactic fermentation with indigenous yeasts, ageing on lees in oak foudres for 23 months before bottling. Wines are made simply, always with natural yeast, no additions, and bottled with little or no So2 very late in the process after malolactic. Ageing in very large old oak foudres.

Domaine Kreydenweiss is situated right in the heart of the town of Andlau, towards the northern end of the Alsace vineyard region.

Here, the Vosges Mountains are exceptionally steep, and cascade down into the valley. Andlau is nestled right up high in the crook of the mountains. Some of the vineyards are vertiginously steep. As everywhere in Alsace, geology is a shuffled deck, each vineyard has its own mix of rocks and soils. The dominant, if we can say so, soil type here is the famous pink sandstone from the Vosges, which gives wines of power and memorable aromatics of charred ginger. But there is also quartz, granite, and even blue slate.

The vineyard work is impeccable, and as much as possible done by hand or with the help of Antoine’s draft horses. There is a genuine deep commitment to biodynamics, and you can feel and see the impact in the vineyards - there is vitality and diversity everywhere, yet an impeccable beauty and grace. These are very photogenic sites.