Agathe Bursin

History of Domaine Agathe Bursin

The family farm dates back to the 19th century, when Westhalten still relied on mixed farming. Agathe Bursin’s great-grandparents chose to devote themselves solely to grape growing. Her great-grandfather, Mathias Bohrer, made wine and was particularly fond of his plots on the Zinnkoepflé, reputed never to disappoint, even in difficult vintages. After his death in 1939, his wife was forced to sell the grapes: at the time, women were not allowed to make wine. In 1956, she was finally able to join the village cooperative, and for several generations the family simply supplied it with grapes.

Born in Colmar in 1976, Agathe Bursin pursued comprehensive training: a technical diploma in viticulture and enology, a national enology degree, then a postgraduate diploma in vine and wine law. In 2000, she made her first vintage, and the following year she established herself on the three hectares her mother had retained, reviving a winemaking tradition interrupted for 60 years. The vineyard gradually expanded, thanks to the trust of the older generation, and now covers six to seven hectares. Quickly recognized by the Guide Hachette des Vins, notably with several favorites for her Pinot Noir, she is now regarded as one of Alsace’s leading women winemakers, known for wines often described as among the purest and most refined in Haute-Alsace.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Domaine Agathe Bursin

Westhalten occupies a unique geological position where two major faults intersect at right angles: the Marbach fault (pink sandstone) and the Ohmbach fault (limestone). They have shaped several arid hills into a veritable amphitheater of vines, in one of France’s driest and most ecologically rich areas. The estate cultivates a mosaic of named vineyard sites here. Bollenberg, covered in fine, sandy, calcareous loess deposited by glacial winds, produces wines with precise, delicate acidity. Dirstelberg, on Voltzia sandstone, is home to Pinot Gris, Riesling and Gewurztraminer. Lutzeltal, the southeastern part of Strangenberg, lies on highly stony, permeable conglomerates of yellow sandstone and oolitic limestone that yield small, concentrated grape clusters. Strangenberg, with its marl-limestone soils covered in loess, is nicknamed “paradise” by botanists.

The jewel in the crown remains Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé, Alsace’s highest grand cru at 410 meters. Facing south and southeast, it has warm, stony limestone-and-sandstone soils composed of crinoidal limestone (Muschelkalk) and fossil-rich sandstone. They absorb heat by day and release it at night, an effect amplified by countless dry-stone walls. Mediterranean flora and fauna thrive at its summit. All seven Alsatian grape varieties are grown on the estate (Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Muscat and Pinot Noir), on vines averaging around 40 years of age, some planted together by Agathe Bursin’s ancestors. Harvesting is done by hand, yields are very low, and the soils are worked according to the slope, with carefully managed ground cover to limit erosion and plant-based preparations used in a biodynamic spirit.

Winemaking at Domaine Agathe Bursin

Because each plot is vinified separately, the winery uses small tanks, the largest holding barely 1,500 liters. The Riesling grapes are pressed as whole clusters, then transferred to tanks after around eight hours of settling. Fermentation starts spontaneously with native yeasts, without chaptalization or deacidification, allowing the vintage and terroir to express themselves unfiltered. The white wines spend six to eight months on fine lees in stainless steel tanks, preserving their natural carbon dioxide and allowing lower sulfur additions.

This deliberately consistent approach from one cuvée to the next makes the differences between vineyard sites perfectly clear: the soil alone speaks. The Pinot Noirs follow a Burgundian approach, with a proportion of whole clusters, around eight days of maceration and then 18 to 20 months of aging in oak barrels, without filtration and with sulfur kept to a bare minimum. The wines are bottled at different times of year according to their maturity, explaining the rotating availability of the cuvées and the strong demand for each new vintage.

The Cuvées of Domaine Agathe Bursin

L’As de B is the estate’s signature cuvée, made from a Bollenberg plot planted by Agathe Bursin’s ancestors with six white grape varieties (Riesling, Sylvaner, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Muscat), harvested and vinified together. It combines the fullness of Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris, the freshness of Riesling and the lightness of Sylvaner, crowned by Muscat’s delicate fragrance. Esprit de Calcaire blends Sylvaner, Pinot Gris and Riesling from a very old Zinnkoepflé plot into a wine of surprising vibrancy and depth. Parad’Aux is a play on words: this half-Pinot Blanc, half-Auxerrois cuvée comes from the Strangenberg, a dry hill nicknamed “paradise,” and charms with its richness, structure and citrus notes with a hint of brioche. The playfully named Ri Go l’O is a crystal-clear dry white made for immediate enjoyment. Traditional-method Crémant d’Alsace rounds out this introductory range with fine, lively bubbles.

Sylvaner reaches a rare level of quality here. Sylvaner Lutzeltal, from the stony conglomerates of Strangenberg, is focused, saline and surprisingly concentrated. Sylvaner Eminence comes from old vines planted in 1930 at the heart of Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé. Because Sylvaner is not entitled to the grand cru designation, Agathe Bursin chose this name for an exceptional wine with aromas of very ripe pear, a remarkable balance of acidity and sweetness, and a rich finish with a pleasing hint of bitterness. Muscat Bollenberg, from a mixed planting of Muscat Ottonel and Muscat d’Alsace, is delightfully crisp, floral and fruity.

The Rieslings faithfully reflect their vineyard sites. Riesling Bollenberg, from massal selections grown on limestone soil, is focused and exceptionally pure, with citrus notes, a touch of honey on the finish and pronounced minerality. Riesling Dirstelberg, grown on pink sandstone, is broader and rounder, its acidity more cushioned but its length undiminished. Riesling Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé has a different, denser texture, with dried-herb and herbal-tea notes imparted by the Muschelkalk, impressive persistence and aging potential of ten to fifteen years. Riesling Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé Vendanges Tardives, produced in just a few hundred bottles, combines luscious sweetness and vibrant acidity with notes of orange zest, honey and bergamot. Great vintages also give rise to exceptionally rare Sélections de Grains Nobles from a dedicated plot at the top of the hillside.

Pinot Gris comes in two versions: Pinot Gris Dirstelberg, smokier and more taut on sandstone, and Pinot Gris Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé, rich, concentrated and opulent, made for the table and for aging. Gewurztraminer follows the same pattern with the generous, slightly off-dry Gewurztraminer Dirstelberg and Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé, considered one of the estate’s finest wines: a spicy, floral nose, a concentrated palate with aromas of peaches in syrup and candied fruit, a mineral touch and an exceptionally long finish. Among the reds, Pinot Noir Strangenberg, grown on marl-limestone, charms with its generosity, fine tannins and red-fruit notes enhanced by barrel aging. Pinot Noir Lutzeltal, vinified with a high proportion of whole clusters and aged in barrels previously used in Burgundy, takes a more delicate, floral approach, with no sulfur added during aging. Pinot Noir Petit Bourgeois rounds out the range with a more approachable, crisp and delicious red, perfect with everyday meals.