René Muré

History of Domaine René Muré

The adventure begins in 1650 when Michel Muré settled in Westhalten, a few kilometres from Rouffach, to cultivate the vine. Twelve generations followed, patiently expanding the family vineyard. The decisive year was 1935: Alfred Muré, great-grandfather of Véronique and Thomas, acquired the Clos Saint Landelin, a vineyard that had changed hands repeatedly since the Revolution. He restored its terraces and dry-stone walls, turned it into a family monopoly and moved the cellars to Rouffach, where the estate also owns vines. In 1976, René Muré took over the estate and actively campaigned for the recognition of a protected designation safeguarding the quality of wines produced from the hillsides of Rouffach.

The history of the Clos itself dates back much further. In the 7th century, Dagobert II granted the region of Rouffach, then known as the Obermundat, to the bishops of Strasbourg. Landelin, an Irish monk who had set out to evangelise the land of Baden, was murdered around 640; according to legend, four springs burst forth at the site of the crime and miracles took place there, attracting monks who founded a first monastery. Bishop Heddon then established the monastery of Ettenheimmünster, endowed with vines at Rouffach under the name of praedium sancti Landelini. The Liber Vitae, written between 1250 and 1372, already mentions these plots close to the Saint Landelin spring, which still flows today at the foot of the vineyard. The modern turning point came in 1999, when the family converted to biodynamics, subsequently obtaining the Biodyvin, Demeter and Ecocert certifications. Véronique and Thomas now run the estate, one overseeing the vineyard and sales, the other the winemaking.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Domaine René Muré

Rouffach enjoys one of the warmest and driest climates in France, sheltered by the Vosges massif which blocks oceanic disturbances. The Clos Saint Landelin occupies a very steep hillside with full south-facing exposure, laid out in terraces supported by dry-stone walls. Its marly-limestone and argilo-calcareous soils, extremely pebbly, rest on calcareo-sandstone subsoils. Each grape variety finds its place: riesling is planted in the lower section, near the spring, which ensures a constant water supply even during the hottest summers, while pinot noir occupies the most pebbly sectors. The Clos extends southward to the Grand Cru Vorbourg, from which the estate also cultivates other plots.

The vineyard is complemented by remarkable terroirs. The Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé, the highest in Alsace at over 400 metres in the noble valley of Soultzmatt, yields fresh, complex and spicy wines with intense floral aromas and pronounced minerality, from riesling and gewurztraminer. The Lutzeltal, a plateau situated above the Clos Saint Landelin, features a very stony, slightly clayey sandy limestone, swept by the winds and very little rainfall: the roots plunge deep and the pinot gris achieves a remarkable aromatic finesse there. The Steinstuck, nestled above Westhalten, offers a very pebbly limestone that produces refined, fresh wines marked by chalky notes and wet stone. Finally, the Côte de Rouffach brings together the well-sheltered, sun-drenched slopes that dominate the town, on argilo-calcareous soils. Riesling, pinot gris, gewurztraminer, sylvaner, muscat and pinot noir are distributed throughout, with vines trained in single or double guyot and high planting densities.

Winemaking at Domaine René Muré

Work in the vineyard is based on traditional ploughing, deliberately low yields and careful sorting at harvest, which is entirely manual in the finest sectors. This parcel-level rigour then allows for minimal intervention in the cellar, a founding principle of the estate. Fermentations start spontaneously with indigenous yeasts alone, without chaptalization or correction, and often proceed slowly to achieve a dry balance — the estate's hallmark for several decades.

The wines are aged on fine lees, in oak foudres for the terroir whites and in barrels for the pinot noirs, which generally spend twelve months under wood before bottling. The crémant receives particular care, with a base wine drawn from a solera maintained over many years, which ensures stylistic consistency from one vintage to the next, and deliberately low dosages. Certain experimental cuvées, such as a riesling with no added sulphur or a skin-contact gewurztraminer, reflect the constant curiosity of the new generation.

The Cuvées of Domaine René Muré

The Signature range serves as the entry point into the world of the estate, with wines from the Rouffach region. The Sylvaner Signature is dry, fresh and easy-drinking, the Riesling Signature plays on citrus and salinity, the Pinot Blanc Signature charms with its crunchy roundness, the Pinot Gris Signature offers generous yellow fruits and the Gewurztraminer Signature unfolds rose and gentle spices without excess. The Pinot Noir Signature rounds out the range with vibrant red fruit. The Muscat Chapelle, with its aromas of fresh grape berry and flowers, is a dry white of refreshing purity. On the sparkling side, the Crémant d'Alsace Cuvée Prestige, dominated by pinot blanc, auxerrois and pinot noir and built on a solera, stands as a benchmark of its kind — ample, clean and vinous; the Crémant Millésimé, from chardonnays planted at the foot of the Clos Saint Landelin and aged in barrel, reaches an exceptional level with its ripe substance and long finish.

The Côte de Rouffach range reflects the generosity of the sheltered hillsides that overlook the town. The Riesling Côte de Rouffach is a well-structured dry wine with fine acidity and a quince finish, built for the table; it is also available in a no-added-sulphur version, which is even more vibrant. The Pinot Gris Côte de Rouffach, on argilo-calcareous soils, blends apricot, dried fruits and honey with a toasty touch, in a rich yet perfectly balanced style. The Gewurztraminer Côte de Rouffach is aromatic, spicy and fruity, with a very digestible off-dry balance. The Pinot Noir Côte de Rouffach, with its brilliant ruby colour, plays on small red fruits with a lithe texture and a lively, sapid finish.

The lieu-dit cuvées reveal the precision of the calcareous terroirs. The Sylvaner Steinstuck, born from sixty-year-old vines, offers a pure and discreet nose, a straight and saline palate and a long, sapid finish: a gastronomic sylvaner. The Riesling Steinstuck, from younger vines, expresses the variety with vivacity on lime and chalk. The Pinot Gris Lutzeltal, generous and highly drinkable, illustrates the aromatic finesse of this very dry plateau. On the Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé, the Riesling gains in tension and spicy complexity, while the Gewurztraminer achieves a striking floral intensity underpinned by a pronounced minerality.

The pinnacle of production remains, of course, the Clos Saint Landelin. The Riesling Clos Saint Landelin, planted near the historic spring, displays a golden colour, notes of stone, ripe citrus and flowers, a mineral and powerful palate, and an ageing potential of fifteen to twenty years. The Pinot Gris Clos Saint Landelin, full of energy, combines density and freshness. The Gewurztraminer Clos Saint Landelin, grown on the warm limestone of the Clos, achieves a rare purity and elegance for this grape variety, without heaviness or excess sugar. The Muscat Clos Saint Landelin, an absolute rarity, is one of the finest dry muscats in Alsace. The Sylvaner Cuvée Oscar, a tribute to an ancestor of the family, is a grand cru in all but name — ample and rich with exotic fruits, capable of ageing for many years. The Pinot Noir Clos Saint Landelin, aged twelve months in barrel, seduces with its aromas of spice and candied strawberry, its concentrated flesh and its length worthy of the finest Burgundies. Its younger sibling, the Pinot Noir V, from the Grand Cru Vorbourg whose appellation is not yet open to pinot noir, offers a brilliant nose of ripe red fruits and a very elegant tart structure. The Gewurztraminer Macération, vinified with around ten days of skin contact, adds an amber and daring touch to the range.

In favourable vintages, the estate also produces sumptuous late-harvest wines. The Muscat Clos Saint Landelin Vendanges Tardives, of extreme rarity, blends roasted pineapple and peach with a remarkable freshness on the finish. The Gewurztraminer Schulzengass Vendanges Tardives, from the lower part of the Vorbourg, offers a nose of rose and toast underpinned by a fine acidity. The Riesling Vorbourg Clos Saint Landelin Sélection de Grains Nobles concentrates the richness and minerality of the hillside in a balance of striking purity, while the Gewurztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles unfolds candied fruits, spices and honey on a framework of infinite length.