History
Domaine Marcel DEISS is located in Bergheim, a small village nestling in the heart of the wine region of Alsace, equidistant from the northern and southern boundaries of the region. Current winemaker Jean-Michel DEISS was born into a long-established family of wine growers, living at BERGHEIM since 1744.
Managed today by Jean-Michel DEISS, the domaine consists of 26 hectares (52 acres) of hillside vineyards spread over 9 communes and approximately 20 kilometers .
The extreme variation in conditions of production at the domaine have led Jean-Michel DEISS to seek to express in each wine the three factors that make a wine complete : the grape variety, the vintage and the terroir.
The greater the wine, the more the gustatory characteristics linked to the soil take the place of the typicity linked to grape variety or vintage.
When speaking of terroir, the following have to be taken into consideration : geology, pedology, climate and microclimate, technical exploitation of the character of the soil, microfauna and flor, and the traditional methods and techniques used to produce wines
A fascination with medieval history and a desire to produce world class Vins de Garde were
the impetus behind Jean-Michel DEISS quest for excellence from his Alsace vineyards. His commitment and personal integrity have led him to the conclusion that, as in most other parts of France, it is the dedicated nurturing of vines in specific terroirs which produces wines of unique distinction, originality, and authenticity.
His efforts have focused on producing complexity and concentration, and the results fall into three broad categories :
1) Wine of Fruits :varietally labelled wines from a single designated commune or village
2) Terroir Wine: field blends of varietals designated, indeed dominated, by their terroir and site and soil specificity, which he refers to as his Premiers Crus and the AOC-recognized Grands Crus
3) Time Wine : and classic late harvest wines with the Vendange Tardive and Sélection de Grains Nobles designations