Frick Pierre

Pierre Frick is one of the greatest and most representative pioneers of artisanal Alsatian wine. The Domaine, which boasts an old family tradition that has been handed down for 12 generations, is located in the village of Pfaffenheim in the Upper Rhine region, only a few kilometres south of the city of Colmar. Today Jean-Pierre Frick with his wife Chantal and son Thomas manage 12 hectares of vineyards following a very respectful and sensitive approach to the land and the vine in 3 different Grand Cru of Alsace. They include Steiner in Pfaffenheim, Vorbourg in Rouffach and Eichberg in Eguisheim. As early as 1970, Pierre and his partner converted the estate to organic farming, adopting a sustainable method based on the health of the plant, the environment and the consumer. Since 1981, the vines have been trained following the principles of biodynamics (Demeter certified since 1986) acquired by Francois Boucher. The use of chemical preparations, herbicides and insecticides has been excluded, preserving the vitality of the soil as much as possible and encouraging the natural relationship between the plant and the land. Only the Bordeaux mixture and small doses of copper and sulphur are tolerated. Since 1999, the use of rotating machinery has also been banned in order to maintain the conformation of the land intact. This results in genuine and straightforward wines that reveal the most authentic and artisanal aspects of Alsace in every sip.

The Pierre Frick winery cultivates the varieties of the old Alsatian tradition such as Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Sylvaner and Pinot Noir. The vines, which extend over 15 kilometres between Colmar and Guebwiller, are grown on predominantly limestone soils with marl and sandstone components, and have a very low yield. The grapes are harvested by hand when they reach perfect ripeness. In the cellar, the musts are not sweetened and are left to ferment spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, with no invasive processes or the addition of external substances. In order for the wine to take on a distinct personality and a more rounded character, it is matured for 5-9 months in very old oak barrels that are more than a century old. Frick does not use the classic corks, which may contaminate the wine, and prefers steel crown corks instead, which, as the producer defines them, are the same ones used for disgorging Champagne. Pierre allows only a brief filtration through cellulose filters, without clarification and with little or no addition of sulphur dioxide.

The range of Pierre Frick wines is characterised by a very clean organoleptic profile and a great personality. On the nose it is always enveloping and harmonious, with soft tones that are lightened by mineral sensations of crushed rock, which are typical of the terroir, and aromatic citrus notes. On the palate, the sharp acidity, the purity of the sip, the slight rustic hint and the subtlety of the components clearly characterise Pierre's wines.