Alsace wine producer: Eric Rominger, Westhalten

Rominger is among the most promising, but also most recent, family run producers in Alsace. The domaine was created as recently as 1970 in Bergholz by Armand Rominger. In 1986 it was time for Eric to take over. However, in 1997, after several land purchases time had come for the young family to move from Bergholz, 9 kilometre north to Westhalten in Vallée Noble.

Eric Rominger has been biodynamically since 2000, and environmental interest permeates the entire family's lifestyle. Do not be surprised if a free-range chicken has been lost and must be captured during the course of your cosy, multi-wine tasting with the family

Out of a total of 12 ha, Rominger possesses as much as 4.8 ha on Zinnkoepflé which is one of Alsace's great personalities among the Grands Crus. The wines are characterised by a dense fruit, marked minerality and sizzling acidity. Like all wines from limestone-rich soils, a Zinnkoepflé requires long cellaring to show its' full potential. But most Zinnkoepflé are consumed young, before the powerful fruit has melted down to expose the elegant minerality that is always present under the surface. Locals consider Gewurztraminer to be the most suitable variety on Zinnkoepflé, but apart from Riesling, Sylvaner must also be taken very seriously.

No wine from Eric Rominger will ever disappoint. the domaine offers a well thought-out and homogeneous range of excellent wines with great finesse for all budgets.

Oh, one more thing. One need not worry about the risk of pronouncing "Rominger" erroneously. The family has heard every possible variation and has a very relaxed attitude to what is correct.

Last visit: 2009.

Facts

Eric Rominger
16 Rue St-Blaise, Westhalten
+33 (0)389 47 68 60
vins-rominger.eric@wanadoo.fr
Riesling €6.50
Riesling Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé €14.30 Powerful and komplex wines with fruit, acidity and backbone. Very friendly, generous and welcoming. No English. Grands Crus: Saering, Zinnkoepflé
Lieux-dits: Luss, Schwarzberg

Representative wines 2009

2007 Sylvaner "Z" Creamy scent with a hint of cheese and candy cane [sic]. Hard, monolithic yet fruity taste with a wonderful salinity and zesty acids. 2007 Riesling Schwarzberg Dense, complex, fresh scent of flowers and flint, which opens up only after several hours of aeration. The taste is tight, complex and focused with mineral tones, grapefruit and a long finish with generous and pure acids. 2007 Riesling Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé Rich aroma that takes four years to open up, offering coconut, pineapple, honey and fresh citrus notes. The taste is very young, smooth, fruity with ripe acidity and some residual sweetness (15 gram/liter). 2006 Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé Compact, self-contained, fruity fragrance with lilac and orange. The taste gives the impression of a vendanges tardives with concentrated flavours of yellow raisins, supported by magnificent acids. In 2006 Gewurztraminer survived the rot thanks to its thick skin.