Louis Sipp: Riesling Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé 1971 – 2014
BY IAN D'AGATA | OCTOBER 18, 2017
The story goes that the Louis Sipp estate was founded at the end of World War I by, you guessed it, Louis Sipp. In fact, the real founder of the estate was his wife, Louise Sipp, who bought the estate’s first vineyards while her husband was still away on the Russian front. It was during this time that the fledgling estate first bought oak casks, some of which are still visible at the winery to this day. Louise, tellingly nicknamed l’intrepide (or the “intrepid one”) must have been a forward thinking lady; as enterprising women were frowned upon during this time. Not surprisingly, the estate took her husband’s name. Today the winery is run by Etienne Sipp, who took over in 1996 and now owns about sixty hectares of vines. Sipp also buys grapes from growers with whom the family has longstanding running collaborative agreements. Sipp has farmed his own vineyards organically since 2005 and gained Ecocert certification in 2008.
Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé Grand Cru to the left and Geisberg Grand Cru to the right
Ribeauvillé’s Distinctive Terroir
Louis Sipp is located in the heart of Ribeauvillé, one of Alsace’s most famous and prettiest towns. Sipp has always been one of the best, if not the best producer, of Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé Riesling. A recent vertical back to 1971 provided a great opportunity to taste a number of wines from this famed Grand Cru site.
