Alsace wine producer: Agathe Bursin, Westhalten

After a two hour tasting of superior wines from Schneckelberg, Zinnkoepflé and Bollenberg, Agathe Bursin looks at me with a surprised expression:
−Do you want to buy wines? But I have nothing to sell! I though you came her to taste and get to know my wines.

The vintage 2005 was her fifth official recolte. The first year, 2000 she made three unofficial cuvées. Since then the demand for her wines far exceeds the supply.

Agathe Bursin was born into a family of vintners. In 1939, her great grandfather was killed in an accident and the family joined the cooperative after the war. When Agathe was a child, her grandmother let her smell wines and decide if it was dominated by "fleure" or "fruit". In the kitchen, her grandmother made Agathe close her eyes and guess what was put in her mouth. These childhood experiences have contributed to Agathes current interest in flavours and fragrances.

Today, Agathe Bursin has 3.7 ha, including 1.3 ha on Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé. The distribution is 5% Muscat, 15% Pinot Gris, and 20% each of Riesling, Gewurztraminer and her beloved Sylvaner. Agathe Bursin also shows a lot of interest in co-plantation.

Agathe Bursin has been educated in Bourgogne and has worked in the Rhône and in Chablis. In Chablis, she wanted to learn about vinification of white wines. In the Rhône valley, her objective was to learn how to work in steep vineyards and run a small estate with many parcels and several cuvées.

It is no surprise that Agathe Bursin sells most of her wines before they are even on bottle. And in each wine you can sense the spirit and the determination of this charming, remarkable, and remarkably skilful viticultrice.

Facts

Agathe Bursin 11, rue de Soulzmatt +33 (0)389 47 04 15 (tel/fax)
agathe.bursin@wanadoo.fr
Riesling Génerique €7.10
Riesling Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé €13.10
Refined, expressive and full wines. Warm-hearted and professional. Good English, but bi-lingual is preferred. Grands Crus: Zinnkoepflé
Lieux-dits: Bollenberg, Strangenberg

Selected representative wines 2006

2005 Sylvaner Fine, dense aroma of mature mixed fruits. The taste is rich with some sweetness (12 g/liter R.S.) balanced by superb acidity. The aftertaste is very long. Made from very old wines subject to hard pruning, this wine would be great with BBQ salmon! 2005 Riesling Very pure, still with some pear and fruit-drop notes typical of recently bottled Riesling. The taste is very fresh with many layers of fruit and model acidity. 2005 Riesling Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé Very young and big aroma of citrus and apples. Broad, complete taste. The acidity has the special intense character of the terroir, as the very long, fruity aftertaste offers outstanding minerality and salinity. 2005 Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé Golden color. The aroma is fresh with roses and violets. The taste is rich and sweet balanced with candied orange and toffee and is backed by superb acidity that carries all the way through. The stunning aftertaste offers more violets. Breathtaking.