Domaine Albert Mann, Gewürztraminer, Wettolsheim – Organic 2008

Maurice and Jacky Barthelmé

This well regarded Alsace domaine is run by two brothers, Maurice and Jacky Barthelmé in the village of Wettolsheim, near Colmar. Maurice, who took over here in 1984, is married to the daughter of the late Albert Mann who gave his name to the domaine. It’s not a huge operation: they have 22 hectares in all, but five of these are in five different Grand Cru vineyards and a further two are in lieux-dits. All the wines are fabulous, but we were particularly taken with the wonderful Gewurztraminer, which is the perfect accompaniment to our foie gras.

In the same way that a basketball team exhibits good teamwork, winemaking duties are shared between the two Barthelmé brothers, each of whom stands a good 6’6” (Jacky is at least 6’7” and plays semi-pro basketball, a fact well-known in the French press, and thus the basketball analogy). While one brother is in the vineyard, the other is in the caves. Using the best organic methods, their domaine is guided by rules of art, with carefully controlled yields, to obtain grapes of elevated maturity with rich and complex substance.