Pierre Weber Riesling Grand Cru "L" Eichberg 2022

More about Pierre Weber

The idiosyncratic wines of Pierre Weber beautifully meld the structure, elegance and complexity that the region is famous for but with vibrancy and energy that is often lacking. These are very impressive wines that clearly display the passion and talent of the man behind them.

A mere 32 years old, Pierre Weber’s winemaking journey started only a few years ago when he returned home to recover a parcel of vines after the passing of his grandfather. His 10 acres of old vines are planted on steep slopes scattered around his home in the small village of Husseren-les-Châteaux. They are amongst the highest elevation vineyards in all of Alsace and although you will see no reference to it on his labels, almost half of these vineyards, planted on a varying mix of clay and limestone, are classed as Grand Cru.

Before he dove into his current journey Pierre was working as an environmental engineer in Paris. Already passionate about the health of the soil and the environment, his ambition was to work with as few synthetic chemicals in the vineyard as possible. He does this by employing all manner of biodynamic treatments, teas and essential oils to remedy any illness in the vines. The truest of Vigneron, he spends the vast majority of his time in the vineyards.

In the cellar, he opts for gentle macerations of both red and white grapes to tempt the aromatics out of some of the more austere varieties. Most of the wines see élevage in used barrique, a nod to tradition. This is because they increase complexity and help to produce wine with supremely elegant texture. They are bottled unfined, unfiltered and with zero sulfur.

Pierre’s wine falls into the natural camp because of the way they are grown and produced but are so beautifully crafted that they defy being so easily categorized. Already a familiar site in the region’s many three star restaurants, he is quickly garnering the attention he so clearly deserves. Like Frank Cornelisson and Christian Tschida before him, he is producing wines that may seem atypical but are actually some of the most regionally distinct and transparent.