France · Central Alsace

Domaine Saint-Remy

Wettolsheim Ehrhart domaine with Demeter farming, native yeast fermentations, Jade Riesling and traditional method Crémant.

The producer

Created in 1725 and based in Wettolsheim, Domaine Saint-Remy is the Ehrhart family domaine behind a wide Alsace range. Its vineyards are farmed organically and biodynamically with Demeter certification. Grapes are harvested by hand, gently pressed and fermented with native yeasts. The bottles cover Riesling, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and other listed varieties, with still wines, Crémants, vendanges tardives, sélections de grains nobles and liqueurs. Jade comes from sandy alluvial soil, while Cuvée Prestige is a traditional method sparkling wine.

Known for

Riesling, Pinot Noir and Crémant

Notable facts

The story

The 1976 Choice

When the Crémant d'Alsace appellation came into force in 1976, producers making sparkling wine in the Haut-Rhin had to choose: adopt the new protocol in full or continue under the older mousseux designation. The change was not cosmetic. Whole-cluster pressing had to replace any mechanical crushing of sparkling base grapes; the minimum lees ageing period was fixed at nine months; and the yield ceiling for the Crémant designation was set below that permitted for still wine production. For a domaine in Wettolsheim already committed to sparkling wine, signing up to the Crémant rules meant extended cellar occupancy — bottles lying on their lees for months longer than the mousseux framework had required — and a harvest organised around two separate picking windows: the Crémant parcels first, the still-wine parcels two to three weeks later. The first vintage the domaine labelled Crémant d'Alsace arrived on the market with a longer cellar history than any mousseux it had previously made.

From the atlas

Domaine Saint-Remy

A Wettolsheim family domaine with organic and biodynamic farming, a wide Alsace grape range, and bottles that move from Riesling and Pinot Noir to Crémant and late harvest wines.

At A Glance

FieldDetail
RegionAlsace
Home villageWettolsheim
Main grapesRiesling, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Auxerrois, Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner and Muscat
Signature wineJade Riesling
Defining featureDemeter certified organic and biodynamic vineyards

The Producer

Domaine Saint-Remy was created in 1725 and is based in Wettolsheim, Alsace. The Ehrhart family farms about 24 hectares across numerous communes. Its grape list includes Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner, Muscat, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir and Pinot Auxerrois.

The domaine works with both still and sparkling wines, alongside late harvest, sélection de grains nobles and liqueur bottlings. That range gives the family estate several ways to work with Alsace varieties, from dry varietal wines to wines made from later harvested grapes.

Place

Wettolsheim is the home village, while the vineyards extend through numerous Alsace communes, including Kaysersberg, Eguisheim, Ammerschwihr, Turckheim and Walbach. The holdings include parcels in several Grand Crus. In Alsace, Grand Cru names identify designated vineyard sites that may appear on the label.

The spread places broad estate wines alongside bottles tied to named ground. Turckheim supplies the sandy alluvial soil associated with Jade Riesling, while Rosenberg and Hengst appear in the 2022 Pinot Noir Réserve.

Soil And Site

Jade Riesling is made from sandy alluvial soil rich in clay deposits, with 22% clay and no limestone. Alluvial soil consists of deposits laid down by water, while clay can retain moisture between rains. Jade has the capacity to gain complexity in bottle.

Rosenberg is clay limestone, while Hengst is more clayey and marly. The 2022 Pinot Noir Réserve separates these sites in its élevage, with 70% Rosenberg wine raised in tank and 30% Hengst Grand Cru wine aged for ten months in barrel.

Story

Philippe Ehrhart joined his father François at the estate in 1999. The family identifies the business as its seventh generation, keeping the domaine within the Ehrhart family line.

The official site reported on 14 May 2024 that Margot and Florian had taken over the family estate. The announcement named the latest generation responsible for the domaine, following Philippe Ehrhart's arrival alongside his father.

Vineyards And Cellar

The vineyards are farmed sustainably, organically and biodynamically, with Demeter certification. All wines have been certified organic since 2010, and Ehrhart wines have been certified biodynamic since 2012.

All grapes are harvested by hand and gently pressed. Fermentations are traditional and use only native yeasts. The wines rest on their lees for six to eight months, with stirring twice monthly. Lees are the spent yeast cells left after fermentation, and contact with them can build a rounder texture.

Wines

The estate sells tradition and reserve wines, vendanges tardives, sélections de grains nobles, Crémants and liqueurs. The still range includes Riesling, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Auxerrois, Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner and Muscat.

Named bottles include Pinot Noir Réserve, Pinot Gris Réserve, Jade Riesling and Eclipse, alongside Cuvée Prestige Brut and Prestige Crémant d'Alsace Rosé. The reserve wines sit in the still range, while Crémant d'Alsace provides the sparkling category and late harvest wines occupy the sweeter end of Alsace wine styles.

In The Glass

The 2024 Pinot Noir Réserve is 100% Pinot Noir. Its aroma brings sandalwood, raspberry, rhubarb, blueberry and clove. The palate is dry and medium bodied, with dark fruit, spice, medium high acidity and fine tannins, finishing with earthy notes and a bitter edge.

The 2022 Jade Riesling shows apple, pear and citrus, with a light lanolin note behind the fruit and a moderately long finish. The 2021 Jade needed air before opening onto citrus zest and yellow fruit. That vintage carried moderate sweetness balanced by acidity and a bitter accent, with 4.5 grams per litre of residual sugar.

Cuvée Prestige shows ripe mirabelle plum and yellow apple on the nose, followed by citrus, a fine mousse and a dry, invigorating finish.

A Bottle To Understand It

Choose Cuvée Prestige Brut. It is a Crémant d'Alsace made by the traditional method from 50% Pinot Auxerrois, 40% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir.

The base wine rests on lees for six months before bottling and second fermentation, then spends three years on its second fermentation lees before disgorgement. Traditional method means that the second fermentation happens in bottle. Lees ageing keeps the wine in contact with yeast cells, which can add texture as the bubbles develop. This bottle puts three grape varieties and bottle fermentation together in one cuvée.

Anecdote

Between 2009 and 2015, Domaine Saint-Remy received international recognition in both still and sparkling wine. In 2009, it received the worldwide Trophy of Excellence for Gewurztraminer. In 2012, the domaine appeared among the top ten best sparkling wines worldwide. The period also included a best in world award for Gewurztraminer Rosenberg. The named distinctions are specific: Gewurztraminer, Gewurztraminer Rosenberg and sparkling wine. The sequence covers a grape variety, a named wine and the effervescent side of the estate's range.

Final Word

Domaine Saint-Remy is a Wettolsheim family domaine with a broad Alsace grape range, named vineyard sites and bottles spanning still, sparkling and late harvest styles. Jade Riesling and Cuvée Prestige show two distinct sides of the estate's work.

Sources

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