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Terroir Wines

Terroir wines from precisely delimited areas (named plots Rittersberg and Ortenberg, Scherwiller communal appellation, Lerchenbuehl field blend at Auberge Ramstein). The identity of these wines stems first from the geology and exposure, even before the grape variety. Wines that breathe the granitic terroirs of Scherwiller, aiming to produce great white wines, especially dry.

Why “Terroir Wines”?

In Scherwiller, a village built on the alluvial cone of the Giessen, the vines take root in very stony, filtering, and early-ripening soils that yield chiseled and elegant wines. It is one of the rare places in Alsace to benefit from its own Communal Appellation (Scherwiller), reserved for Riesling and recognized for its mineral framework and finesse.

Around the village, two granite hillsides structure our range: Rittersberg (two-mica granite, south/south-east facing, saline, vertical style, crafted for gastronomy) and Ortenberg (deeper granite, fine sand and silt: a more generous, fruity, and smoky expression, particularly successful with Pinot Gris). To these terroirs is added Lerchenbuehl, a historic plot (from the Ramstein inn) field-blended (old vines) on alluvium, aged in large containers for a broad, dry, and very “gastronomic” signature.

To this is added the Grand Cru Frankstein, located in the neighboring commune of Dambach la Ville, with a south/south-east exposure. Hillsides of two-mica granitic sands (warm and early-ripening) forge a very gastronomic Pinot Gris: ample texture, fine and saline minerality, with airy floral notes that take precedence over the typical smokiness of the grape variety. These filtering slopes store heat during the day and release it at night, ensuring consistent ripeness.

Our Terroir Wines are High Environmental Value (HVE) certified: sustainable viticulture, controlled yields, manual harvests for certain cuvées, and selected aging methods (stainless steel, barrel/600 L) to best respect the identity of the place. The result: precise wines, regularly dry or off-dry (Lerchenbuehl, Riesling Rittersberg & Scherwiller, Pinot Noir Rittersberg, Pinot Gris Ortenberg) to which are added two more indulgent (sweet) cuvées: Légende d’Automne, the estate’s emblematic bottle (overripe Pinot Gris), and Gewurztraminer Cuvée Particulière (single-plot selection)

Simply the terroirs (granite, alluvium, soil depth)

Two-mica granite (Rittersberg): stony soils, poor in clay, draining, which force the vine to root deeply. The wines gain in tension, linearity, with a finishing salinity. Riesling shines there with its white flowers (acacia, linden) and its long persistence.

Deep granite (Ortenberg): thicker horizon (fine sand, silt), more regular ripeness, more expressive fruit, roundness on the palate, typical smoky notes on Pinot Gris.

Alluvium of the Scherwiller cone (Commune): siliceous pebbles and gravel mixed with sand/silt: warm, filtering soils, with a vibrant, fluid style, and a clear mineral grain.

Tradition Wines aim for the pure expression of the grape variety (accessible, everyday), while Terroir Wines highlight the precise area (Scherwiller, Rittersberg, Ortenberg, Lerchenbuehl) which modulates ripeness, acidity, texture, and minerality. The Tradition Wines page emphasizes ease of access and emblematic grape varieties; here, we detail soils, exposures, yields, and aging methods.

Because the appellation decree reserves Scherwiller exclusively for Riesling: on very stony and filtering siliceous alluvium, the grape variety offers elegance and linearity with a marked minerality.

Rittersberg (2-mica granite, south/south-east): tension, salinity, great persistence, wines crafted for the table and aging. Ortenberg (deeper granite, east): generous fruit, roundness, smoky notes (superb in Pinot Gris).

Yes, all of these cuvées are produced using sustainable viticulture, certified HVE, with manual harvests on certain plots and yields adapted to each named plot. (See product sheets for each cuvée.)

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