Letting nature decide: Three women of Alsace and their biodynamic vineyards (#winophiles)

Four years ago, when I was shopping for wine in Pennsylvania state stores, I would find a single stack of shelves devoted to wines from sustainably grown grapes – that is, organic, biodynamic, and “clean and green.”

Now it seems these wines are easier to find. Perhaps consumer expectations are changing, and buyers are beginning to care about sustainability – so much so that some wine producers throw around the term without defining what it means. Yet others, most notably Troon in Oregon and Tablas Creek in California, are leaders in regenerative agriculture, a holistic approach to farming and viticulture that goes beyond organic and biodynamic.

For this month’s French Winophiles theme, “Women Working in Wine Sustainably in France,” I’m focusing on three women from Alsace, France, whose vineyards are biodynamic. We chatted several weeks ago courtesy of the Millésimes Alsace DigiTasting® online conference. I also got a chance to taste 2-oz. wine samples from each of their estates.

Please note that while samples were provided, opinions are my own.

First, a little background

Biodynamic farming was founded in 1924 by German scientist and philosopher Dr. Rudolf Steiner, one of the first public figures to question the long-term negative impact of industrial agriculture. Steiner suggested that farms should be thought of as living organisms, not factories, as Demeter, the international certifying body, notes, “… self-contained and self-sustaining, responsible for creating and maintaining their own individual health and vitality.”

Alsace is a 10-mile-wide, 80-mile-long strip of land on France’s borders with Germany and Switzerland. In the past, this region belonged to Germany and that influence is still evident today in the cuisine as well as place names and surnames. The Vosges Mountains to the west protect Alsace from rain and make this region one of the driest in France. Long considered as having a cool continental climate, Alsace has been experiencing warmer-than-usual vintages in the last five years with the exception of 2021.

Alsace is one of the most geologically diverse regions in the world, with 13 distinct soil types.Alsace also distinguishes itself by having 51 sites classified as Grand Cru. These wines are made from the best soils, slopes and microclimates. With some exceptions, only four “noble grapes” are allowed in Grand Cru appellations: Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. Other permitted grapes in AOC Alsace wines are Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, Muscat and Sylvaner.

Biodiversity and longevity

Brother and sister Véronique and Thomas Muré are 12^th generation winemakers at their family domaine in Rouffach, at the southern end of the Alsace wine region. The Muré family owns and manages 70 acres of certified organic, certified biodynamic vines. Their land includes the 25-acre, steep and terraced Clos Saint Landelin at the southern end of the Vorbourg Grand Cru.

Véronique Muré holds a degree in agronomy. She has been responsible for the commercial and administrative side of the family estate since 2001. Her father, René, made the decision to go organic in 1999. After more than 20 years managing a certified organic vineyard, the Murés found they needed other treatments to reduce the quantity of copper they were using. Now that they’ve been certified biodynamic for 10 years, their vineyard has “lots of flowers and animals,” Véronique says.

The Murés’ elegant 2020 Pinot Noir accounts for more than 20% of their production. The fruity nose is a mix of cherry and black cherry. The palate is herbal and not too tannic. Their Zinnkoepflé (meaning “head of the sun”) Grand Cru Riesling is made from grapes grown on a southern exposure at 1,300 feet in altitude. This parcel gets a cooling wind from the mountains. Stony limestone is the backbone of their soil, while sandstone gives the wine its herbal character. The Vorbourg Grand Cru Riesling is my favorite. Grown in the stony marl and limestone soil of the Clos Saint Landelin, it’s silky with more citrus. This wine will become smoother and rounder with age.

Tradition and modernity

Jean-Baptiste Adam still uses huge wood barrels from 1614, when their 15^th generation winery was started. Located in Ammerschwihr, a small village of 2,000 residents and “a lot of vines” in the southern end of Alsace, the Adam family’s vineyards have been biodynamic for 20 years. The granite soil locks in the grapes’ freshness and acidity.

Laure Adam is the 15^th generation to work in the family business. She started in 2012 after studying viticulture and enology and earning an MBA in wine, commerce and management. She now handles the export and marketing side of the business.

Jean-Baptiste Adam’s Kaefferkopf (meaning “head of the scarab”) Grand Cru Riesling comes from vines that are more than 70 years old – one in granite, one in limestone – and aged in a cask (old barrel). Their Wineck-Schlossberg Grand Cru Riesling is from a vertical parcel that is difficult to cultivate. Black granite gives this wine greater minerality and citrus on the finish. The wine can age for more than 15 years. “We never sell it before three or four years in bottle,” Adam says.

I was delighted to taste the drier side of Gewurtztraminer in a Kaefferkopf Grand Cru blend – 60% Gewurtz, 20% Riesling, 20% Pinot Gris. Macerated 10 days on the skins, this “orange” wine is fresh and spicy with a pleasant bitter note on the finish.

Respect for nature

In the cellar at Domaine Barmés-Buecher, the producers have enough space to age two vintages at the same time. This is important to Sophie Barmes, because it means they don’t need to bottle everything at harvest. They can respect the cycle of each wine.

“Everything needs time,” she says. “We let nature decide. We let the wine decide.”

Domaine Barmès-Buecher is located in Wettolsheim, also in the southern end of Alace. The estate was founded in 1985 by Geneviève Buecher Barmès and her husband François Barmès, who brought together lands their respective families have owned since the 17th century.

Geneviève and François converted the estate’s 37 acres to biodynamic farming in 1998 and have been certified biodynamic since the 2001 vintage. After the tragic death of François in 2011, daughter Sophie and son Maxime became more involved in managing the family business. The family works their estate entirely by themselves, doing everything from pruning to bottle labeling. They believe that if you want to make quality wines, you need to see and follow the process from the beginning.

Their racy Hengst Grand Cru Riesling is from a single-vineyard block. Production is very small – only 1,700 bottles (142 cases). Soil is decomposed granite. Their Rosenberg Pinot Blanc, grown in clay and limestone soil and aged in old (as in 100-year-old) oak casks or “foudre,” is fermented on the lees without racking. The wine has a super-enjoyable round, long finish. But my favorite is the Steingrubler Grand Cru Riesling from grapes grown in clay, limestone and granite on east-facing and south-facing sides of the vineyard. Aged on the lees for 16 months in old, 600-liter barrels, this wine typifies the Barmes’ winemaking style – it’s dry, fresh, savory and with a saline note. Delicious!

The good news is these three estates are all within a short drive of Colmar, the main town in southern Alsace. The bad news is these lovingly produced wines are difficult to find in the U.S. If you have any success, please let me know!

Here’s the list of posts for this month’s Winophiles theme:

• “7 Generations of Women Providing Grand Vin De Bordeaux” by Wendy Klik on A Day in the Life on the Farm
• “Mas de Libian: The Commonality Between a Muslim Persian Poet, a Game of Boules, and a Wine Warning” by Culinary Cam 
• “Letting nature decide: A look at 3 women of Alsace and their biodynamic vineyards” by Linda Whipple at My Full Wine Glass 
• “Women Working Sustainably in Bordeaux + the Greedy Bats of Château Puyanché” by Gwendolyn Alley on Wine Predator