Domaine Christian Binner

The story

The Hill That Waited Twenty-Four Years

Kaefferkopf had been regarded as one of the most respected hillside sites in the Haut-Rhin long before it held a Grand Cru classification. The hill above Ammerschwihr appears in documents from the twelfth century, and its growers had always planted it with a mix of varieties — Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Pinot Gris — because the soils changed too sharply across the slope for a single variety to make sense on every parcel. When the Alsace Grand Cru list was formalised in 1983, Kaefferkopf was excluded: the rules required one declared variety per Grand Cru, and mixed planting did not qualify. Local growers, including those farming Ammerschwihr's slopes, petitioned the INAO for twenty-four years. Classification came in 2007, with the rules rewritten to permit blended wines — the only such accommodation in the Alsace Grand Cru system. Binner's parcels already spanned all three varieties; the classification meant the blend could now carry the Grand Cru name.

From the atlas

Domaine Christian Binner

An Ammerschwihr domaine farming Alsace Grand Cru sites with biodynamic methods, long lees ageing, and no added sulfur.

At A Glance

The Producer

The Binner family has been making wine in Ammerschwihr since 1770. Christian Binner took over the domaine in 1999 and works with a range that includes Grand Cru Schlossberg Riesling and Si Rose. The holdings extend across Grand Cru sites in Alsace, linking the family base with named vineyard places.

The domaine combines certified organic farming with biodynamic viticulture. Biodynamics places emphasis on balance and on sensing when plants are more sensitive. In the cellar, Binner rejects fining, filtration, and added sulfur, leaving the wines with fewer clarifying and preserving interventions.

Place

Ammerschwihr is the home village of Domaine Christian Binner in Alsace. The domaine's holdings span three Grand Cru sites. In Alsace, Grand Cru identifies a classified vineyard site, narrowing the label from a regional name to a specific vineyard address.

That distinction shapes the range. Grand Cru Schlossberg Riesling names both the grape and the classified site, while Si Rose occupies a different place as a fragrant white wine. The producer's geography therefore joins one village base with several higher level vineyard names.

Story

Christian Binner took over the domaine in 1999, with vines planted by his grandfather in 1930 still in production. The old plantings remain part of the domaine's working vineyards under his care.

The farming developed around organic certification and biodynamic techniques, followed by official Demeter certification in 2020. The vineyard approach is described through balance and sensitivity to plant conditions, while manual work and human labor remain central to the way the vines are worked.

Vineyards And Cellar

The domaine farms 15 hectares, with 8 hectares estate owned and 7 hectares in long term rental, across Grand Cru sites. Manual work and human labor are central in the vineyard.

The cellar uses no fining, no filtration, and no added sulfur. Fining removes suspended particles, while filtration clarifies wine by passing it through a filter. Lees are the spent yeast cells left after fermentation, and keeping wine on them can add texture and breadth.

The length of lees ageing follows the wine itself, from six months to three years. The duration is not fixed across the range, so the cellar gives each wine its own period of contact with the lees.

Wines

The range includes Grand Cru Schlossberg Riesling, Si Rose, Bombisch, Saveurs, Bombisch Rose, Scarabee qui Bulle, and a white and orange wine box. It includes still white wines, a sparkling wine, and a white and orange format.

Grand Cru Schlossberg Riesling is a Riesling from an Alsace Grand Cru site. Si Rose is a white wine with a fragrant profile. The other bottles broaden the lineup across still and sparkling formats without adding unsupported tasting claims to the labels.

In The Glass

Grand Cru Schlossberg Riesling has a dusty orange to coppery orange color with cloudiness. Its aromas are malty and fermentative, recalling new make whisky, apricot skin, ginger ale, and ginger spice.

The attack is vivacious, and the texture is juicy. On the palate, grip, dryness, and fresh acidity arrive in equal measure. Bitter tannins create a drying finish.

A Bottle To Understand It

Si Rose is the bottle to open first. It is a white wine whose fragrance carries citrus and roses onto the palate, where ripe white fruit and mineral notes join them.

The wine keeps the focus on one aromatic white bottle, while the wider range moves into Grand Cru Riesling, sparkling wine, and white and orange formats. Its profile is direct, with the same citrus and rose character present in both aroma and palate.

Anecdote

When Christian Binner was a child, his father ploughed by hand while all his neighbours used chemical weed killers. The contrast was physical and immediate. A plough turned the soil in his father's vineyard, while chemical weed killers controlled weeds in the neighbouring vineyards. Christian saw manual labor and chemical weed control side by side before taking over the domaine in 1999. The scene remains a precise image of two different ways to work vines, one through a person's labor with a plough, the other through chemical treatment.

Final Word

Domaine Christian Binner brings together Ammerschwihr, Alsace Grand Cru sites, biodynamic farming, and a cellar without fining, filtration, or added sulfur. The range moves from Grand Cru Schlossberg Riesling to Si Rose, sparkling wine, and white and orange formats.

Sources

• https://www.littlewine.io/winemaker-magazine/domaine-binner
• https://www.jennyandfrancois.com/wines-2/france/domaine-binner/
• https://worldoffinewine.com/wines/24638/alsace-grand-cru-riesling
• https://www.unfinedwines.com/products/si-rose-nv-gewurztraminer-pinot-gris