Alsace Burg Marcel Deiss (Domaine) 2009

Lot presentation

Alsace Burg Marcel Deiss (Domaine) 2009

The wine

Burg is one of Deiss’ most successful terroirs, with its south-facing aspect and marl soil. Contrary to traditional winemaking practices in this region, this signature is not a single-variety cuvée, but rather a blend of biodynamically grown Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Muscat and Gerwürztraminer. The fruit is fermented in barrels using indigenous yeasts and the wine is then matured in oak barrels on fine lees for 12 months. Each of these highly aromatic varieties gives the wine its extraordinary complexity and spiced notes with a hint of citrus peel. It makes an exquisite pairing with exotic, spiced dishes.

Jean-Michel Deiss, (the son of Marcel Deiss, who established the property in 1949) currently manages the 27 hectares of vines, which are planted on some of Alsace's finest terroirs, including the grand cru Altenburg de Bergheim. Jean-Michel Deiss grows his vines according to biodynamic principles, a philosophy that prohibits any form of chemical treatment and combines an understanding of cosmic rhythms with work on the soil and the vines. The objective? To encourage the vines to develop as deep a root system as possible in the subsoil, thereby giving full expression to the terroir. Despite being an acknowledged master of the art of making single varietal wines such as Pinot Gris and Riesling, this exceptional winegrower has waged a veritable campaign against the traditional Alsace approach of regarding the grape variety as the essence of the wine, and granting negligible importance to the terroir. Thus he has reintroduced ancestral practices such as mixed planting of all of the traditional varieties (Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris) on the same plot, with no sorting at the harvest. The terroir then comes to the forefront, free to fully express itself without the omnipresent constraint of a single variety. After years of campaigning, Jean-Michel Deiss finally succeeded in obtaining authorisation for the application of the terms "Grand Cru" and "Premier Cru" (previously reserved for traditional cuvées) to these "vins de terroir". The names of the grape varieties have not appeared on the labels since 2005. . His son, Matthieu Deiss, who also owns Vignoble du Rêveur has taken over the reins.
More information : Read the article about domain Marcel Deiss on the blog