Vineyard side
Alsace vineyards ? An exceptional region !
Our climate is semi-continental: cold winters, hot and dry summers, sometimes stormy, and beautiful and dry autumns. The sunshine is optimal and the rainfall is very low because it is protected from oceanic influences by the Vosges mountains (in 2020 : Colmar 424 mm of water against 758 mm in Lorraine and 778 mm in France).
The vines planted on the sub-Vosges hills, on the slopes, have an essential impact on the quality of the grapes: drainage, less fertile soils, better exposure to the sun and ideal orientations : South, South-East, South-West.
All of these conditions thus contribute to the constitution of the inimitable characteristics of Alsace wines.
Our land
Our vines are located on the Ribeauvillé fracture field. This field traverses the vineyard from North to South, from Rodern to Turckheim. 70% of our vineyard (60 ha owned) is mainly concentrated in the villages of Ribeauvillé, Bergheim and Hunawihr.
A vast palette of different terroirs ! The Ribeauvillé fault offers a mosaic of exceptional terroirs including, in particular, complex limestone rocks including the shell limestone called “Muschelkalk”. There are also marls (limestone & clay), sandstone from the Vosges, migmatites, a mixture of gneiss and granite, etc.
Each grape variety has its favorite terroir: there is a real positive synergy between grape variety and terroir: the terroir sublimates the grape variety, which expresses the terroir in the most beautiful way. Riesling, half of the production at Trimbach, is for us the most incredible white grape in the world in this sense.
Our vines are on average 45 years old: at this stage the root network is fully established in its soil and reveals all its facets / specificities.
Each of our wines is therefore always made from a single grape variety (except for our Pinot Blanc which we blend with Auxerrois). But the soils differ and each plot has its own meso-climate.
All these elements allow us to create wines with very complex and varied expressions, the vintage effect also playing a determining role.
Certification & Biodiversity
All of our 61 ha vineyards and the grapes we select from our 35 winegrowers are officially certified organic since 2023.
We are growing our vines organically and have been doing so for over 10 years along with our partner winegrowers.
It was in the Clos Ste Hune, our 1.67 ha plot in Hunawihr, that we initiated organic viticulture in 2008.
We plant around a hundred trees per year in our vineyard (oaks, apricots, pear trees, etc.), as well as small shrubs and bushes.
We install nesting boxes for birds in order to preserve and promote biodiversity within our vineyard. In winter and until the budding of the vines, our flock of sheep maintains and enriches our soils.
Planting density
(number of plants per hectare)
Trimbach : 5500 to 6000 vines / ha
AOC Alsace : min 4500 vines / ha
AOC Alsace Grand Cru : min 5500 vines / ha if planted after 2005.
Massal selection
For more than 20 years, all our new plantings or annual complantations have been made with plants resulting from mass selection.
We work hand in hand with our nursery partners with the aim of always promoting genetic diversity and preserving our plant heritage.
Cut
The double or single Guyot type Poussard pruning is carried out during the winter months. It is a short pruning to allow the plant to develop fully from the start of the vegetative cycle. It respects and promotes the sap circuit to ensure the sustainability of our feet and better resistance to disease.
Pruning is an essential and primordial step in the management of our vineyard, it determines our yields, guarantees the good health and vigor of our vines.
Our very old vines are generally pruned in simple Guyot type Poussard, in particular Sylvaner, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir. This is to obtain less yield and therefore a better aromatic concentration.
Vineyard care
To ensure optimal development of the vine, prophylactic methods of disbudding and trellising are used.
Most of our work is done manually throughout the vegetative cycle.
Organic treatments are spaced out as much as possible. Only contact products are used such as Bordeaux mixture and horsetail and wicker teas, and any other essential natural ally.
Season after season, it is necessary to intervene at the optimum time and according to the vagaries of the climate and the environment.
Only a very great knowledge of our land and a keen sense of its understanding allows us to act when necessary.
Our soils are cultivated if necessary, and as far as possible depending on the terroirs, using tractors, winches, or horses. In winter, our sheep partly allow us to fertilize them.
If necessary and just before the harvest, we carry out 100% manual stripping to allow better air circulation and promote exposure to the sun.
Harvest
Our team of 60 harvesters leaves early in the morning. 20 of them are present throughout the year and supervise a team of 40 seasonal workers to rigorously select the grapes.
They are brought back to the estate as quickly as possible. The grapes are the key to the quality of the wine.
The yields are variable and depend on the grape variety, the terroir and, of course, the vintage ...
Thanks to the average age of our vines of 45 years, the yields remain in all cases very measured.
