Alsace: the limestone south of Colmar
From the sandstone hills of the Vosges, down the Steinert above Pfaffenheim, to the loess of the plain. Tap a layer to read it.
Swipe the plate sideways to see the whole section.
Schematic: the fault field is drawn as one block. Sources disagree on the Steinert's limestone (the grower says shelly Muschelkalk-type limestone; one study source says Jurassic oolite), so it is named simply as hard limestone. Depths and fault throws are illustrative; check against the BRGM 1:50,000 sheet for Neuf-Brisach–Rouffach. Steinert is placed above Pfaffenheim from the grower's description, not surveyed. Vorbourg and Strangenberg lie about 3 km south and Bergweingarten is placed by the village, so all three are drawn dashed; Strangenberg and Vorbourg are set on this slope at about their own heights, not at their true spots. Ground from AWS terrain data; Pfaffenheim sits 20 m from the line.
5 layers, youngest at the top
Single vineyards we pour from. Tap one on the plate.
Why Frick's wines taste of stone
- South of Colmar the foothills are mostly limestone, not granite or marl.
- The Steinert is so stony that roots must reach into the rock for water.
- This is still the Vosges rain shadow: dry, sunny autumns and little rot pressure, a help to a biodynamic grower.
- A few kilometres change everything: the Vorbourg's warm marl gives broader wines than the Steinert's stone.
Did you knowPierre Frick farmed organically from 1970 and went biodynamic in 1981, among the first in Alsace.
Pas Mal wines on this ground
Pfaffenheim, Rouffach and Westhalten
- Bergweingarten Sylvaner Sans SoufreDomaine Pierre Frick
- Pinot Gris Maceration V (Orange)Domaine Pierre Frick
- Pinot Noir StrangenbergDomaine Pierre Frick
- Riesling Steinert Grand CruDomaine Pierre Frick
- Riesling Vorbourg Grand Cru MacerationDomaine Pierre Frick
Sources: Wikipedia, Alsace Grand Cru AOC; alsace-du-vin.com, soils and geology; winewithseth.com, Steinert; Domaine Pierre Frick producer notes; wineanorak.com, Pierre Frick; BRGM 1:50,000 geological map, sheet Neuf-Brisach–Rouffach; AWS Terrain Tiles.