Alsace domaine with five Grand Cru parcels, 90 percent organic farming, and varietal wines from Riesling to Pinot Noir.
The producer
Domaine Paul Blanck traces its history in Alsace to the 17th century and farms 25 hectares, with 90 percent of its holdings under organic methods. Five Grand Cru parcels, including Schlossberg and Furstentum, sit alongside grape named wines. Riesling brings bright citrus and mineral notes. Gewürztraminer is aromatic with melon and lychee. Pinot Blanc combines apple and lemon with citrus, tropical fruit and mineral notes. Paul Blanck Pinot Noir ferments with natural yeast and remains in stainless steel until spring bottling.
Known for
Alsace grape wines and Grand Cru sites
Notable facts
The estate traces its history in Alsace to the 17th century.
The vineyard holdings cover 25 hectares.
Ninety percent of the holdings are farmed organically.
The estate holds five Grand Cru parcels: Schlossberg, Furstentum, Mambourg, Sommerberg and Wineck-Schlossberg.
Paul Blanck Pinot Noir ferments with natural yeast for 7 to 10 days and remains in stainless steel until spring bottling.
The story
The First Grand Cru
In 1975, Schlossberg became the first officially delimited Grand Cru in Alsace — the first time the French appellation authorities formally named a single steep granite slope and put legal boundaries around what it could produce. The campaign to achieve this classification had run for years, driven in part by the major landholders on the hill, the Blanck family among them, who were making wine from Schlossberg that tasted markedly different from the Riesling grown on the warmer, deeper-soiled plain below. When the 1975 decree came through, the Blanck parcels moved from informally understood grand cru-quality land into a named, legally bounded appellation with a specific geological address in the French appellation register. The family had farmed those same parcels for decades before the law put a name to them. Every bottle of Schlossberg Grand Cru Blanck has produced since carries that appellation name exactly as it appears in the 1975 decree.
From the atlas
Domaine Paul Blanck
An Alsace domaine with named Grand Cru vineyards, organic farming, and varietal wines from Riesling to Pinot Noir.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Region
Alsace, France
Main grapes
Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir
Signature bottle
Paul Blanck Pinot Noir
Defining feature
Named Grand Cru parcels and organic farming
The Producer
The estate's history in Alsace reaches back to the 17th century. It farms 25 hectares, with 90 percent of its holdings under organic methods. Domaine Paul Blanck works across grape named wines and bottles tied to Grand Cru parcels. Frédéric and Philippe Blanck manage the domaine today.
Place
Alsace gives the domaine two label formats. A varietal wine foregrounds the grape, while a Grand Cru name identifies a classified vineyard site. The five Grand Cru parcels are Schlossberg, Furstentum, Mambourg, Sommerberg and Wineck-Schlossberg. These names move the label from a grape reference to a specific vineyard, while the varietal bottles keep Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir in plain view.
Wines
The range includes white varietal wines and a red Pinot Noir. Paul Blanck Pinot Noir ferments with natural yeast for 7 to 10 days, then remains in stainless steel until spring bottling. Pinot Blanc Classique is fresh and well balanced, with apple, lemon and ginger on the nose, followed by citrus, tropical fruit and mineral notes on the palate. Rieslings are bright, dry and lemony, with lively mineral and pithy qualities. Gewürztraminer is wonderfully aromatic, with melon, lychee, herb and grape notes.
Final Word
The domaine brings grape names and Grand Cru vineyard names into one range, with white wines and Pinot Noir side by side.