Domaine Marcel Deiss is one of the more famous, and possibly infamous, producers in the Alsace region of France. Proprietor Jean-Michel Deiss a magnet for criticism over any number of things. Alsace is the one region in France where it is common practice (and legal) to label wines by their varietal, but he chooses not to, instead labeling his wines by single vineyard designations. Most wines in the region are single varietal, and his are not only blends, but field blends made from interplanted grapes all harvested together and crushed together. Most people think you shouldn't (because it doesn't work) blend Riesling with other grapes, yet Deiss persists.
I'm a sucker for pig headed iconoclasts like Deiss. What can I say. This guy and his daughter find little vineyards that have great soil, and hatchet down the yields, and try to produce wines that are as terrior driven as possible.
Several of their vineyards, including the one used to produce this wine are the Alsatian equivalent of Grand Cru. This wine is a field blend of Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Noir. Deiss firmly believes that he should be interplanting these varieties which are normally kept very separate. Why? Because in this vineyard, they all ripen at the same time, a feat that many viticulturalists would consider impossible. These grape varietals are often harvested at times differing by a full month. Is it a sign from God? Deiss doesn't go that far, but instead says that he is listening to the land, and to my taste he has a good ear for it.
