Valentin Zusslin

Zusslin’s Clos Liebenberg is a picture-book vineyard. A monopole with a count's past but a sustainable future, the partly terraced four-hectare clos is far more than just a vineyard—it is a gem of biodiversity. No harvest machine has ever compressed the soil here (or in any Zusslin vineyard). Instead, a horse (named Sésame) is used to plow the soil in the spring. Sheep pasture between the vine rows over the winter. During summer, 30 beehives are spread throughout and 200 birdhouses hang in the many fruit trees that are planted in and around the clos. This unique place boasts fantastic melodies of songbirds and views of the Rhine Valley and the Black Forest to the east and of the Vallée Noble and the impressive Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé to the west. More than this, it yields great, age-worthy Rieslings and probably Alsace's finest Crémant. Like Muré’s Clos Saint Landelin, Zusslin’s Clos Liebenberg is one of region's finest sites yet was never classified as a grand cru. Everything that the family does has its origin in the clos. It is the ideal of ecological and sustainable agriculture and the love it receives, rewards and gives back. It is a place for humanists far more than for esoterics, and its energy shines in all the wines of Domaine Valentin Zusslin. Wherever you visit wine parcels of the family, they radiate a special sense of peace and harmony, even in the huge Bollenberg across the road, farmed by many families, and from which come Zusslin's ravishingly fine yet intense Pinot Noirs. This is also a declared nature reserve with Mediterranean plants (including orchids) and a dry grassland crest that attracts many naturalists and birdwatchers to the Vallée Noble. The goal of the Zusselins is to preserve and maintain these natural paradises—even if it means a lot of physical work—while producing great wines at the same time, and this represents one of the most successful symbioses of man and nature, of natural and cultural landscape. Both sites, as well as the Grand Cru Pfingstberg, which is a south-sloping extension of the cooler, southeast-sloping Clos Liebenberg, convey a sense of home to the residents of Orschwihr. It is therefore not surprising that the Zusslins have been able to count on their neighbors as helpers for years and generations, especially during the harvest, and these are by no means only pensioners. Some people even take time off from their regular jobs to spend the day at Clos Liebenberg, Bollenberg or Pfingstberg. At noon, tables are set up and Arlette brings food for everyone in the vineyard. This is accompanied by crémant and wine from their own production and lots of happy faces. Only the young interns, who are housed quite comfortably in the domaine, seem to be a bit weary at times. So much hard-earned happiness—that's something many of them have to get used to. As boss Marie says, "Working for us means hard work, but no vacation.” Those who survive it are better people afterwards. And will most likely also become great vintners themselves.

This 16-hectare domaine in Orschwihr in the Vallée Noble (Haut-Rhin, Alsace) is directed by brother-sister Jean-Paul (vineyards and winemaking) and Marie (strategies, sales and marketing) Zusslin, the 13th generation to manage this family estate that has existed since 1691. They are assisted by their mother, Arlette, widow of Jean-Marie Zusslin, who steered the domaine until his death in 2016. Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir are cultivated in three main terroirs: the lieu-dit Bollenberg, the monopole Clos Liebenberg and the Grand Cru Pfingstberg. The harvest is done manually in multiple passages, and the pickings are strictly selective. All the vineyards have been farmed sustainably and according to biodynamic (Demeter) principles since 1997. Jean-Paul and Marie aim to create authentic wines of great finesse and purity. The wine quality is completely based in the vineyards; in the cellar, nothing is added or taken away. "We don't use any of the other 350 legal agents,” says Marie. “We don't modify our wines, we do the contrary — we work hard in the vineyards.” Many interns can tell you a thing or two about that. The white clusters are pressed gently to yield must that is fermented naturally in traditional oval Alsatian oak casks, with the wine kept on the lees for up to two years. The Pinot Noirs are predominantly destemmed and macerated gently to avoid overextraction, fermented in small Burgundian barrels and foudres. The wines are sulfured only moderately (the crémants are not sulfured at all). The wines are of unrivalled brightness, finesse and energy, yet also express intense elegance. The crémants are arguably the finest in Alsace, as are the world-class Pinot Noirs. Of course, the whites, namely Riesling, are terrific and always dry, except the rare noble sweet wines. The Grand Cru Pfingstberg and Clos Liebenberg are wines to cellar — they can easily age 10 or more years.