Biodynamic. Théo Riesling comes exclusively from the monopole Le Clos des Capucins—a vineyard that takes its name from the Capuchin friars who arrived in the area in 1619—at the base of the celebrated Schlossberg hill. The clos is well protected from winds by the surrounding hills and walls. The soils are sand, alluvial pebbles and granitic gravel. The low-cropping vines typically offer up a supple and pithy Riesling that is wonderfully accessible when young—a reflection of these sandy soils. As with all Weinbach dry Rieslings, this was pressed as whole bunches, fermented without any yeast additions, and matured in very old oak casks for, in this case, 10 months.

Biodynamic. Primarily responsible for the Weinbach we know today, Catherine Faller’s mother, Colette Faller, was one of the legends of Alsatian wine. Sadly, Madame Faller passed away in early 2015 and, like her daughter Laurence and husband Théo before her, is now immortalised by a wine bearing her name. This cuvée comes from 50- to 60-year-old vines in the Bonnes Terres terroir, lower down on the Schlossberg slope, where the soils are deeper and sandier. The fruit here tends to be picked a touch later. Accordingly, the register of flavours is more intense, running from white flowers to tropical fruits and citrus fruit zest. The wine’s power is balanced by great freshness and verve. Even though it comes entirely from Schlossberg, some of the vines fall outside the Grand Cru boundary, so it cannot be labelled as such. The domaine has applied for Premier Cru status. But no matter, it offers Grand Cru quality in the glass. This gorgeous dry Riesling was raised for 11 months in old oak casks and bottled unfiltered.

Biodynamic. The standard of Weinbach’s Pinot has gone through the roof. There are now five single-vineyard Pinots in the range. The Clos des Capucins bottling leans towards early-ish drinking, with quality pitched towards the village-level wines of Burgundy. Stylistically, it can equally resemble the high-grown Pinots from the Jura or even the best German Pinots as much as those of the Côte d’Or. The fruit fermented spontaneously with 20% bunches and spent about 20 days on skins. It was raised in mature Burgundy barrels for 14 months before being bottled unfiltered. The result is a beautiful expression of Pinot Noir, combining subtle tannins, refreshing texture and a mouth-watering, powdery close. This is very, very good—a unique and terrific alternative to Burgundy.

Biodynamic. Dry. In Alsace, the term Pinot Blanc is used to describe varietal wines or blends containing any percentage of Auxerrois. Weinbach’s Pinot Blanc is a blend of 70% Auxerrois and 30% Pinot Blanc. For fellow nerds, recent DNA studies indicate Auxerrois is a cross between Gouais Blanc and Pinot Noir. Weinbach’s blend comes from Clos des Capucins (with 45-year-old vines) and a plot from the limestone/clay soils at the foot of the Altenbourg vineyard. As with the dry Rieslings, the Pinot Blanc was pressed as whole bunches and raised over eight months in large-format wood (previous vintages were raised in tank). It's a far more layered and complex wine than you might expect from these varieties. It’s fleshy and mouth-filling with orchard fruits, white blossom and chamomile flavours and a textural core threaded through with punchy freshness. As with all these 2022s, it’s very hard to drink slowly!