| Region of production: | Haut-Rhin |
| Winery Location: | Bergheim |
| Year Established: | 1947 |
| Average Total Production: | 120,000 bottles |
| Vineyard Holdings: | 27 ha |
Notable vineyards
- Grand Cru Mambourg: planted to Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Pinot Gris; soil is magnesium on conglomerated limestone and marl
- Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergheim: mixed plantings of thirteen varieties: Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Sylvaner, Auxerrois, Chasselas, Pinot Beurot, Chasselas Rosé, Traminer and Muscat Ottonel (Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer dominate); soil is clay and rock limestone
- Grand Cru Schoenenbourg: planted to Riesling; soil is stony, marl-limestone and sandstone
Summary
The Deiss family comes from a long line of winemakers in Bergheim, dating back to 1744. Domaine Marcel Deiss was established in 1947 after Marcel returned from WWII and, with the help of his son André, developed and grew his land holdings. André’s son Jean-Michel took over in 1973 and today manages the estate with his son Mathieu. The family practices biodynamic farming across their 27 hectares spread over nine communes.
Jean-Michel is a staunch advocate of complantation, or the blending of grapes from one site, as opposed to the more common Alsatian practice of single-variety winemaking and labeling. He also played a large role in the 2005 INAO reform, which dropped the variety designation requirement for Alsace Grand Cru AOP wines (it is now optional) and which modified the Grand Cru Altenberg production laws to allow field blends.
Deiss categorizes his wines using three basic classifications: Vins de Fruit (single variety wines), Vins de Terroir (field blends) and Vins de Temps (late-harvest wines).
Top Wines/Vineyards & Inaugural Vintages:
- Grand Cru Mambourg: Inaugural vintage 1998
- Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergheim: Inaugural vintage 1994
- Grand Cru Schoenenbourg
Brief Description of Style / Vinification Techniques
Grapes are hand-harvested and pressed as whole clusters in a basket press. The must settles at cellar temperature and is fermented using indigenous yeasts. The wines ferment and age in large foudres for at least one year. Wines are filtered and bottled with minimal sulfur.
Producer Website: http://www.marceldeiss.com/en/