2016 Altenberg de Bergheim

The estate has recently acquired more vineyards and now farms 40 hectares (up from the 27 hectares of just a few years ago), and so this year Mathieu Deiss carried out his second harvest from the village vineyards they now rent in Zellenberg and Ribeauvillé and launched a new lineup of “Appellation Villages” wines, named simply Zellenberg, Ribeauvillé, Riquewihr (2017 was the first vintage for all three) and Bergheim (inaugurated five years ago). More good news is that this estate’s reds continue to improve and are especially enjoyable and centered; they also age well. Mathieu Deiss does not like too much sexy sweet oaky spiciness in his reds, and so they start life quite vertical and are never too showy at first. In fact, the Marcel Deiss estate was always famous in Alsatian drinking circles for his Burlenberg red.