Description
A fantastic wine that shows intense lime and lime blossom notes on the nose, with a perfect balance between density and acidity. Medium weight with stone fruit on palate. Still mineral as ever with wild herbs in finish.
Catherine comes from a hospitality background, her parents operating restaurants in Alsace since she was young. And whilst Catherine had a keen interest in food and wine, she didn’t want to venture into restaurants. After completing her schooling she undertook viticulture and Oenology studies in Beaune and Dijon, interning with Jean Louis Trepat. Several years later after extensive travel working in France and overseas, Catherine’s return to Alsace was with Chapoutier in 2009, who were establishing themselves in Reichsfeld. This was to provide Catherine with invaluable experience, understanding the terrain, the climate, the cellar conditions and also the chance to befriend other vignerons.
In 2012 she purchased 1.3 hectares and began her own domain. She was assisted by Antoine Kreydenweiss and Lucas Rieffel in the early years. They offered advise and encouragement, with Lucas providing his cellar for Catherine to make her wines until 2015 when she established her own cellar in Bernardville.
All farming is done in organics, her original hectares certified in 2015. Catherine seeks diversity in the vineyard, cover crops are planted with the intent of taking nitrogen in to feed the soil. She now has 4 hectares, all located around the village of Reichsfeld, approximately 40 minutes south west of Strasbourg.
Her vineyards are steep and sit high at the base of the Vosges mountain range, bordered by forest at 350-400 meters altitude. This micro climate ensures freshness and acidity, the mountains protecting the vineyards and allowing slow ripening. Across 10 plots, the vineyards are within a few kilometres of each other, the majority on sandstone (gréseux) soils which are fast draining. She also has some plots in Schififferberg Cru, the soil crumbly blue schist, a rarity in Alsace.
Catherine belongs to the Association des Vins Libres d’Alsace which promotes local organic wines without inputs. All work is manual. In the cellar, she does not own a de-stemmer and has a German Wilmes press which provides a gentle pressing of the grapes. Elevage is in old barriques on lees, the wines are unfined, without filtration and without sulphur. Catherine will not release a wine onto the market if it is not stable and ready.
75cl
