DOMAINE JOSMEYER – WINTZENHIEM – THE JEWEL OF ALSACE
DOMAINE JOSMEYER - PURE INSPIRATION
Just got back from another incredible trip to France, what a magnificent country, more vines and cycle paths than people, brilliant. We started our two week 'repos' in Alsace, specifically in the small village of Wintzenheim near Colmar, home to one of our favourite producers, Domain Josmeyer, now run by two amazing sisters Celine and Isabelle Meyer. It’s less common to find a producer that moves as comfortably with the ‘iconic’ label in conventional wine circles as it does in the Biodynamic world, but for Josmeyer, this is the case. Perhaps it’s the history associated with the estate; or perhaps it’s that insight and traditionally made wines from high quality grapes which, in the end, create few enemies. The estate was established in 1854 in the charming village of Wintzenheim, just outside Colmar and spans over 28 hectares of prime Alsatian terroir. The Meyer family has owned and operated the winery for five generations. In the 1990s, Jean Meyer made the bold decision to shift the estate to organic and biodynamic practices, which is credited with transforming it into one of the premier wineries in Alsace. After his passing, his daughters, Celine and Isabelle, took over the management of the winery and now produce the stunning wines made today.
Céline and Isabelle studied fine arts and history of art before Isabelle went on to study Oenology. Today Isabelle is in charge of the cellar and the winemaking, while Céline manages the Domaine, the vineyard activities, all of the biodynamic preparations and the beautiful poetry on the back labels. The family have been collaborating with artists since 1987 to create colourful label designs that evoke the wine's personality.
“The sparkle of my wine is the sparkle of my life”
Wintzenheim’s low annual rainfall, which is among the lowest in France, benefits the estate, which comprises five unique terroirs, two of which have achieved Grand Cru status: Hengst and Brand. At Josmeyer grapes are carefully handpicked and pressed before undergoing natural fermentation in 100-year-old casks, where they are aged on the lees. Josmeyer’s wines are renowned for their freshness, complexity, and minerality, with each of the five terroirs contributing to the distinct expressions of the grape varieties.
In recent years, the wines seem to have taken another step forward with such precision and definition that the quality and drinkability of all the Cuvees makes them undoubtedly some of the best in the region. The 2025s in particular have a beautiful balance of concentration and poise, even the Gewurz, so often a heavy, over bearing grape, has a delightful lift and freshness.
We are visiting the domaine for the first time this summer and can’t wait to walk the cellars and taste the wines in situe.
The Terroir
One of the many treasures of Domaine Josmeyer is the terroir…
Hengst Grand Cru
The soil of the 360-meter high slope dominates the vineyard. A mixture of limestone from the Vosges and chalky marl dating as far back as the Jurassic period. Generally speaking, this terroir tends to produce rich, full-bodied, expressive wines. They have an untamed character in their youth, reminiscent of the vineyard’s name – “stallion”. They slowly mature to astonishing aromatics and fabulous richness. Think of Tina Turner, and this would be the character that you get from marl limestone soils.
Brand Grand Cru
This relatively well-protected hillside vineyard behind the village of Turkheim, has a south-southeast exposure. The wines produced from this vineyard are regal yet lively, fine-structured, pure and intelligent. A restrained palate of subtle complexities. The very opposite of the Hengst terroir.
Gewurztraminer Libre Sous le Ciel 2022
Herrenweg
Between Wintzenheim and Turckheim, these flat alluvial are rich in clay. The soil is predominantly of sand, shingle, silt, pebbles and loess. The wines produced from this vineyard are soft and sensual.
Gewurztraminer Les Folastries 2025
Drachenloch (Dragon hole)
This exceptional geographical site is considered to be one of the warmest in Alsace. The vineyard is composed of limestone soil, positioned in the middle of a rocky outcrop that protects it from the North and East winds.
Resting peacefully in the valley of the Vosges Mountains, the region benefits from the lowest annual rainfall in the whole of France, mainly due to the rain shield from the mountains. Keeping the areas around Wintzenheim dry and basked in sunlight – ideal conditions for biodynamic farming.
THE INSPIRATION
The domaine has been a very personal journey for Celine and Isabelle. You can understand this simply listening to the way Celine talks about it, although light hearted and jolly by nature, there is an underlying seriousness and passion for her craft, 'my father was very serious' she says, and wanted to make sure everything was under control and in order. Celine and Isabelle have a slightly more spiritual approach, perhaps as a result of their studies, both artists, both creatives, both with a sense of wine being more than a metier, more than a living, it is a part of them, and they want to be express themselves through it. This connection is no more evident than in the cellar. Isabelle who is cellar master, (ie she makes the stuff) started to draw on the barrels and found this an easy way of being 'connected' to the wines and to be in the moment when working in her cellar. Over time this process has become an integral part of her wine making and also shows the spiritual, artistic side of what she does. Wine is after all, a creative process, at least it should be when done in the right way. Celine was a literature student and the poetry written on the bottles and around the cellar are her contribution to this creativity.
Whatever the motives, the process certainly works. The wines are absolutely delicious, easy, yet incredibly profound and complex. They express terroir beautifully, from the precise elegance of Brand to the brashness and body of Hengst, all the wines are a true representation of the soil. The cellar is also a beautiful place to visit, a place to really understand what wine and biodynamics are all about and a place to be truly inspried to to champion these wines and drink plenty of them along the way.
