Authors: Ed Fong, Dirk Chan
Pictured is the main entrance to the famous estate of Domaine Weinbach, established by the monks of the Monastery of Capuchin in 1612. Located in the town of Kaysersberg, just five miles northwest of Colmar, one of Alsace’s largest towns. Ed & Annabelle visited with Catherine Faller this week and spent the morning tasting 16 wines, many from the excellent 2007 vintage, a vintage of balance, finesse and bright acidity. The women of Weinbach (mother Colette and daughters Catherine and Laurence) form a triumvirate of women at the leading edge of winemaking – they have cultivated their 140 hectares of vineyards organically since 1998 and the estates in acknowledged as amongst the greatest in all of France. With an emphasis on quality of grapes, vineyard work, low yields due to tight crop thinning, the results are the very famous Rieslings (Cuvees Schlossberg, Ste. Catherine), Gewurztraminer (Cuvees Laurence , Furstentum) and Pinot Gris (Cuvee Ste. Catherine).