Kuentz-Bas, Geisberg, Riesling, Alsace Grand Cru 2014

“Picked on the first of October from 60- and 80-year-old vines in the heart of the cru, the 2014 Alsace Grand Cru Geisberg Riesling is an intense, concentrated, lush and powerful wine with an almost creamy texture and a lovely touch of sweetness. There are first hints of bottle maturity here, but this 2014 is still very young and fresh. There is nice purity and mineral tension on the persistent and aromatic finish. A beautiful Geisberg that was bottled in July 2015. Tasted October 2018.”-92WA, 2019-2030

Maison Kuentz-Bas was first established by the Kuentz family in 1795, and the domaine as we know it today was forged through a marriage that joined the Kuentz and Bas families in 1895. Nestled in the town of Husseren-les-Châteaux, it sits at one of the highest points in Alsace, and the vineyards stretch out from the village over an area of ten hectares. More than two hundred years of tradition and vineyard pedigree have made these wines perennial favorites, with the grand crus of Eichberg and Pfersigberg earning the highest esteem. However, when the family sold the property to famed vigneron Jean-Baptiste Adam in 2004, many wondered what direction the new team would take. Adam, like the estate’s former owners, has a reputation for being an advocate of Alsatian terroir, and he is the fourteenth generation to continue a family winemaking tradition that began as early as 1614. Eager to restore Kuentz-Bas to its former glory, Adam lowered yields significantly and reverted to natural methods, following organic and biodynamic approaches to vineyard work.

Meticulous attention to detail is the defining characteristic of both the viticulture and the vinification at Maison Kuentz-Bas. Winemaker Olivier Raffin, who took over direction of the cellar after Samuel Tottoli’s departure in 2017, puts a strong emphasis on both terroir and accessibility. The wines are divided into two tiers: Tradition, a fresher collection focusing on fruit character, fermented and aged on the lees in oak foudre for 6-8 months and Trois Châteaux, from the domaine’s finest vineyards. The Trois Châteaux wines are fermented and aged in stainless steel tank, then bottled and held for a year before release. Raffin embraces hard work in the vineyards and minimal work in the cellar. Reduced doses of sulfur allow for a greater expression of fruit, and a drier fermentation yields crisp, mineral-laden wines with less residual sugar. The wines are therefore more open than ever while still reflecting the unmistakable character of the vineyards that clients have come to expect from the Maison Kuentz-Bas. Alsace’s noble terroir shines through like never before in the domaine’s wines, making these among the greatest white wine values to be found.