André Ostertag (nickname meaning Easter Day) ran this family estate with his sister Annie since 1980 with 14.5 ha (50% dedicated to Riesling) consisting of 80 very small plots (designated as “gardens”) in 5 villages: Epfig (63%), Nothalten (30%), Itterswiller (2%), Ribeauvillé (4%) and Albé (1%), until the son Principe Arthur took over in 2018. In an extremely structured and determined explanation, he addresses wine and the vineyard in a sensory and intuitive way, trying to feel the profile of each parcel and to relate to the vineyard in order to harvest the best grapes, spokesmen for the parcel from which they come. Bio-dynamics is the option taken since 1998 and defended without imposition to reveal the terroir. On Epfig’s return, he worked to value some parcels such as the Grand Cru Muenchberg (the monks’ parcel) or the raw Fronholz (the forest of deer that were going to file the horns). They usually classify the wines produced in 3 categories:
1. fruit wines with the name Les Jardins, vinified in general in stainless steel with the exception of Pinot vinified and aged in used barrels
2. stone wines that count the terroir and where you want to highlight the impact of the soil and the place, and the minerality it gives to wines
3. time wines where the typical over-ripening of the region is sought to produce timeless wines.
with a very personal stamp, an almost spiritual research, which explains why Ostertag has become for many amateurs a cult producer, maintaining the eternal quest to do better. With Arthur’s recent leadership, a youthful energy gives new impetus to the work started by his grandparents and André, and a different look brings innovations in the vineyard (with the return of work on horseback, a reflection on soil fertilization) as in the cellar with essays on the maceration of Gewurztraminer and a different approach to Pinot noir. A good handover between generations allows you to glimpse new rich chapters in this consecrated and moving farm.
Domaine Ostertag
André Ostertag
Alsace
