Albert Boxler
Domaine Albert Boxler produces some of the finest wines in Alsace, an often overlooked but exciting region in France. Jean Boxler is at the helm and, with over 25 years of first-class winemaking under his belt, is creating white wines which inspire a cult-like following and are increasingly hard to get hold of. His family have been making wines in Alsace since the mid-17th century, but it was Jean’s Grandfather, Albert, who first bottled wines at their small estate in Niedermorschwihr, near Colmar, after the Second World War. Jean’s focus is on his brilliant vineyards; he grows Riesling, Pinot Gris (or Pinot Grigio as it’s known in Italy), Pinot Blanc, Muscat and Gewürztraminer predominantly on the steep granite slopes of his two grands crus - Sommerberg and Brand, with a few further parcels around the village.
He has employed organic principles since the early 2000s and strictly controls yields so that even with the heat of the Alsace sun, Jean’s wines have crisp acidity and complex aromatics. Only the best of his hand-picked grapes make it into his modest cellar where he intervenes as little as possible and his wines display balance, power, precision and flavour every vintage. Testament to his unwavering attention to detail, Jean divides the individual terroirs within Sommerberg and Brand into smaller parcels which are vinified separately and the location marked with a single letter on his labels. These parcels are some of the most impressively concentrated and long-lived Rieslings that you will find.