BKWine Pick: Domaine Pfister, Alsace

Domaine Pfister, Alsace

Mélanie Pfister started to work with her father at the family domaine in Dahlenheim in northern Alsace in 2006. She is an oenologist with diplomas from the wine universities in Bordeaux and Dijon. She has worked both in Germany and in New Zealand. “In the New World they tend to consider the winemaker the most important person but for us, the most important work is made in the vineyard”, says Mélanie. Her first vintage was the rainy 2006. A challenging year to begin one’s career but the quality turned out alright. The Riesling 2006 Grand Cru Engelberg is a very good wine, very dry and fresh with citrus aromas and some minerality.

Domaine Pfister makes dry wines. All vintages are different, of course, says Mélanie, but the technical work in the vineyard aims at obtaining dry wines. The grapes are harvested ripe but not overripe. She never allows the malolactic fermentation to occur. The domain has 10 hectares, divided into 40 different plots. This is a bit complicated, admits Mélanie, but the positive side of it is that the wines get more complexity because different soil types are mixed in the wine. The terroir is important for her, but she still wants to keep the tradition of putting the name of the grape on the label. “The grape is part of the Alsace identity.”

Domaine Pfister is a very good address if you like your Alsace wines pure, clean and dry.

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