It's a Family Affair - Bruno Schueller and Jean Ginglinger
[Bruno Schueller in the cellar and a caricature of Jean Ginglinger (with anatomically correct nose!) Photos: Amanda Bowman]
Bruno Schueller and Jean Ginglinger are cousins, and coincidentally also two of the most talented natural wine producers in Alsace. It's been a long time coming, but we've finally been able to put together an offering of their wines, albeit in limited quantity. Here you'll find racy acidity, unmatched purity, and truly memorable and impressive expressions of classic Alsatian varieties. There are some wild and wacky bottles, like Schueller's Pinot Blanc, oxidative Riesling Bildstoecklé, or Ginglinger's Pinot Gris maceration and funky unfiltered Gewurztraminer. On the other hand, there are textbook crystalline wines with breathtaking natural acidity and mineral complexity, like the Cuvee H and Riesling Particulier from Schueller or the BIHL and the Riesling Lerchenberg from Ginglinger. All in all, these are not to be missed for fans of natural wines and Alsace lovers alike.
Bruno Schueller is a member of the "Gang of Five" of Alsace - the term given to a group of Alsatian winemakers who were considered the first to produce natural wines in the region. Along with Pierre Frick, Christian Binner, Jean-Pierre Rietsch, and Patrick Meyer, Bruno pushed the boundaries for decades, and has gained a cult-like noteriety for his atypical wines. Sometimes they can be reductive, other times a bit volatile, but when they're good they're unforgettable (luckily this batch is free from any noticeable reduction or VA so worry not!).The domaine is located in Husseren-les-Châteux, close to Colmar and protected by the Vosges mountains. It's an area with mostly limestone soils, which lend a mineral streak to all of Bruno's wines. In the vineyard, farming is biodynamic, and Bruno pays close attention to leaf cover, and the health of his soil. Most of his cuvées have no sulfur added at any point and all aging is in large Alsatian foudres that are typically around 1000L (and are often close to 100 years old!). We brought in some of Bruno's wines a decade ago, before "natural wine" was a buzzword, so it's a great pleasure to re-introduce his wines in this new age of enthusiasm.
I first met Jean Ginglinger a few years ago, when Réol and Amaury Beaufort invited me to an early morning tasting at Ginglinger's home. I was blown away by the wines and their natural acidity (maybe it helped that it was 9am!), and enamored with Jean, who is a humble and genuinely warm and gratious human being. A cousin of Bruno Schueller, Jean makes wine about 10 minutes away, in the town of Pfaffenheim, across the road from Chantal and Pierre Frick. He converted his family's domain to biodynamic viticulture in 1997, traded in tractors for horses for vineyard work and started making no sulfur wines in 2003, so he should be considered an equal contributor to the history of natural wine in Alsace. Like much of the terroir around Colmar, the soils here are mostly limestone, mixed with sandstone and various fossils and prehistoric rocks (see photo above). His winemaking is focused and intentional, but at the same time whimsical and free. The wines run the gamut, from deliciously pure and dense Rieslings to macerations and peculiar expressions of Muscat, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris.
We're excited to have Bruno and Jean's natural wines in New York and invite you to try them!
-Eben Lillie (with special thanks to Amanda Bowman for photos, insight, and help with tasting notes!)
