As winemaking goes, the youthful Léonard Dietrich has certainly got a good thing going on. Growing up surrounded by vines, his family winery is located in the small Alsace village of Dambach-la-Ville, where his family have been growing grapes for centuries. Immersed in the wine scene from a young age, he has worked with his family in the vines for as long as he can remember, but it wasn't until time spent working alongside local biodynamic pioneer Patrick Meyer that things really began to click into gear.
Now in his mid-20s, he has access to three hectares of family vineyards in and around Dambach, including small parcels in lieu-dits such as Breitstein, Frauenberg and the Grand Cru Frankstein. Home to classic granite soil territory, the vines range from 40-50 years old. Importantly, Léo spent his first few vintages converting the vineyards to biodynamics and planting fruit trees among his parcels. Along with many new vignerons, concerns over monoculture and the effects of climate change drove serious change in perspective.
Despite his youth, in the cellar Léo displays a gentle touch in the cellar. He favours gentle presses, deft macerations and decent length élevage in large Alsatian foudres. By doing so, he is able to harness the perfume of each local variety and the pedigree of each site. These are impressive wines that are anything but conventional. His vibrant, nuanced expressions of these crus show lovely purity. In truth, the wines feel as bright and youthful as the man himself.
For a region that can become a bit lost amongst more esteemed parts of winemaking France, we are delighted to share new wave Alsace from one of its brightest talents.
