Kleinknecht
Alsace

My first visit to Andre & Isabelle Kleinknecht was back in 2019, aided by Catherine Riss and Strasbourg caviste Jean Walsch.

In the village of Mittelbergheim, 20 minutes south of Strasbourg you will find 20 winemaking families, and a population of less than 1000 people. The vast majority farm organically, and/or biodynamically, a community of the Alsatian ‘less is more’ movement.

Andre Kleinknecht was the first in Mittelbergheim to adopt this methodology back in 1998, with guidance from Jean-Pierre Frick and Patrick Meyer. He converted from organic to biodynamic in 2012 and was certified by Demeter in 2014.

The Kleinknecht family, children Fanny and Jules working alongside Andre, farm 9 hectares of vines. The vineyards are all located around the villages of Mittlebergheim, Andlau, Eichhoffen and include a range of Alsatian Grand Cru’s and lieux-dit vineyards.

Zotzenberg Grand Cru hugs the west of Mittlebergheim. The soils are marl limestone with a south-east exposure on slopes that run from 215 meters to 320 meters altitude. Designated Grand Cru in 1992, Zotzenberg is the only Sylvaner grand cru.

Kirchberg de Barr Grand Cru is located at the north of the village. The slopes are steep and south facing, the soils here also marl limestone. In exceptional vintages, Pinot Noir, Riesling and Gewurztraminer are given their own bottlings.

Rebbuhl lieu-dit is a 1.4-hectare plot in Andlau on a granite plateau where you will find Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois.

The Kleinknecht's production sits around 35,000 bottles with the majority remaining in France. Of what is exported, most goes to Japan and Denmark.

With meticulous attention in the vineyard and cellar, these are terroir driven wines of purity that capture the energy of Alsace.