The story of the Gresser family began in Switzerland around the eleventh century and from there it moved, initially, to Gressoney, in Val d’Aosta and then back to Switzerland, in Wil, a village near Constance Lake. Being the city of Wil twinned with that of Andlau, it was easy for a descendant of this family, Eberhardt Gresser, to obtain, in 1399, the citizenship of Andlau, laying the foundations for a link between the Gressers and this country that remained unchanged over the centuries.
To arrive at the first testimony of the relationship between Gresser and viticulture, however, it will be necessary to wait until 1525: in the documents attesting the appointment as provost of Andlau, of Thiébaut Gresser, reference is made to his profession as winemaker. However, it was not until 1924, with Victor Gresser, that the winery began to bottle and sell its wines privately, followed in this activity by his son André and his nephew Rémy, the current owner of the Domaine.
The Domaine can count on an extension of about ten hectares, with an important presence in the most prestigious Grand Cru of the area, which require uncommon production capacity given the multiform composition of the soils, from shale, to limestone, to sandstone, to stones, to marl and to clays. In this regard, Rémy strongly claims to have drawn inspiration from his ancestors, drawing from their experience the knowledge needed to extricate themselves in this maze of terroirs. This aspect was then joined, over time, to the formation of a genuinely ecological and eco-sustainable consciousness that led to the conversion of vineyards to a biological and, subsequently, biodynamic approach.
Among the properties there is one inside an arched basin in the Grand Cru Moenchberg (=Bronze Mount), an appellation located between the municipalities of Andlau and Eichhoffen. In this same plot as well, the composition of the soils differs between fossilized limestone rocks, in the part of Eichhoffen, and fossil sandstone rocks, closer to Andlau. On this second area are planted Gewurztraminer plants about 40 years of age, exposed to the south, from which it is obtained the homonymous Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Moenchberg.
The few grapes obtained from this vineyard (30hl/ha) are carefully selected in the plant and, therefore, harvested manually, at full physiological maturity, around the second half of September. In the cellar the grapes are pressed delicately, and the must is left to ferment spontaneously, thanks to indigenous yeasts, without temperature control. The wine obtained will be placed in oak barrels for about a year before bottling and marketing.
The 2016 vintage shows an intense straw-yellow color with golden streaks, and an olfactory fan that opens on notes of white rose, peach in syrup, millefiori honey and dried apricot, followed by kumquat, rosolio, undergoing and cinnamon, with final echoes of iodine and moist rock. The 2016 vintage shows an intense straw-yellow color with golden streaks, and an olfactory fan that opens on notes of white rose, peach in syrup, millefiori honey and dried apricot, followed by kumquat, rosolio, undergoing and cinnamon, with final echoes of iodine and moist rock.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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