| Louis Sipp |
|
Louis SIPP began his family's involvement in wine growing at the end of the First
World War. Louise , pioneering grandmother of the family, acquired the first
plots of vineyard while her husband Louis was away on the Russian Front. The
first vats were also bought at this time. Some of those old vats are still in
use, and can be seen in the wine cellars today. At this time grapes were harvested
on the Kirchberg hill (today classified as "Grand Cru" land) and carried
in baskets on the harvesters' backs down to the presses. In 1962, the winery
was assumed by the sons Louis and Pierre who began to rethink the vineyard's
use of vine varieties, steering the business toward the higher quality "noble" varieties
Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Tokay Pinot Gris. In 1964 a new wine production
plant was brought into service to have the best facilities for handling the grapes
coming from the sixty hectares of exceptional land surrounding Ribeauvillé.
Today, Louis’ winemaking benefits from increased knowledge of the vineyards
and new developments in technology as he creates wonderfully balanced wines with
full fruit flavor and brisk acidity. It is about respecting his true, Alsatian
roots by combining tradition with a style that gives a slight nod to something
more evolving and a hint more modern. Delish!
|
|
The Schaetzel family has been growing grapes in the village of Ammerschwihr since
1803. However, only since 1938 have they been bottling under their own
label. Jean grows his grapes organically and certified bio-dynamically,
trying to express the different terroirs of the 31 acres of vines, which also
respects the environment and produces smaller berries and better fruit flavors. All
grapes are hand-harvested and sorted in the vineyard. Each parcel is vinified
separately using methods adapted to each parcel to preserve the aromatic and
gustatory potential of the varietal.