Alsace wine producer: Jean-Philippe och Jean-François Becker, Zellenberg

Historically, Jean Becker was a negociant house with a minor fraction of wines from own land. Since the late 1980's, the direction has been to develop a range of vins de terroir from Lieux-dits in and around Zellenberg. An increasing share, now 18 hectares, of the wines are organically grown under the J-P. & F. Becker label, named after present owners Jean-Philippe och François. In total, the firm sells wine from an impressing 32 ha.

The wines are crisp and dry, with nice body and revealing the characterstics of the terroirs.

Jean-François manages the vineyards while Martine, the sister, manages the sales on God knows how many fluent languages.

Despite that Becker markets 5 Grand Crus, I am very fond of the three Lieux-dits, all situated in Zellenberg. Two of these, Kronenbourg och Lerchenberg, are located on the east-facing slopes just west of the road D1. They can be seen as extentions of Schoenenbourg. The third Lieu-dit, Hagenschlauf, is located north-east of the village close to the cemetary where the hail-storms tend to be severe.

A real treat of the Becker house is the pure Muscat Ottonel from the Grand Cru Froehn. This soil has a unique geology, with a bedrock with little limestone but pockets of iron, formed under chemically reducing conditions. The Froehn Muscat is dense, yet elegant, character with restrained varietal character.

The price of the Becker range is very attractive in relation to the quality. The tasting room offers a large selection of local products, as well as books and glasses that can be hard to track down elsewhere.

Latest visit: 2012

Facts

Jean-Philippe, Jean-François and Martine Becker 2 & 4, route d´Ostheim +33 (0)389 47 90 16
+33 (0)389 47 99 57 (fax)
vinsbecker@aol.com
Riesling Génerique €6,50
Riesling Lerchenberg €9,50
Riesling Grand Cru Froehn €13
Classic, dry wines with good body. Welcoming and professional. Very good English. Grands Crus: Froehn, Schoenenbourg, Sonnenglanz, Praelatenberg, Schlossberg
Lieux-dits: Hagenschlauf, Kronenbourg, Lerchenberg, Rimelsberg

Representative wines 2012

Crémant Brut Extra Cuvée des étoiles Powerful nose with red fruit, gooseberry and apple. Tasty and refreshing, mouthfilling taste with a fine balance. An appealing sparkling wine that does not claim to be a Champagne. 2010 Riesling Clean, classic and typical grape aromas of green apples with no frills. Almost medium bodied, fresh flavor with good backbone and a little (vintage typical) malic acid in the finish. Price: € 6.50. 2009 Riesling Hagenslauf Vieilles Vignes Rich aromas of nuts, honey and candied lemon. Supple and generous taste (vintage typical) but with good structure, moderate acidity and a dry, fine aftertaste. A giant leap up from the basic riesling for an unsignificantly higher price. Price: € 7.90. 2010 Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg Aromas of apricot, pineapple and spicy minerality so typical for the terroir. Very youthful, promising and intense flavor with intense minerality embedded in a body of fine fruit. Price: € 15.25. 2001 Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Froehn Resrained aroma of caramel, toffee, some arrack and ginger. Smooth, elegant, well balanced flavor with moderate acidity and integrated sweetness. A rare wine from a Grand Cru which is almost completely dominated by Riesling. Price: € 13.