Pierre Frick

History of Domaine Pierre Frick

The history of the estate is inseparable from that of Pfaffenheim, where the Frick family has cultivated the vine for twelve generations. As early as 1970, Pierre and Annette Frick converted the estate to organic farming, excluding herbicides, soluble fertilizers and synthetic chemical treatments, with a holistic vision of the health of the soil, the plants and the consumers. In 1981, Jean-Pierre took over and went a step further by transitioning to biodynamics, certified Demeter, making the estate one of the oldest and most emblematic practitioners of this approach in France.

There will never be any turning back. Since 1999, in continuity with the work carried out both in the vineyard and in the cellar, Jean-Pierre Frick has crafted cuvées vinified and bottled without any added sulphites, brought together in the Purs Vins, Zéro Sulfite Ajouté range. To preserve the purity of the wine, the cork stopper was even replaced as early as 2002 by a stainless steel crown cap inspired by Champagne, guaranteeing homogeneous maturation and good aging potential. Today supported by his wife Chantal and their son Thomas, the estate sells its entire production and does honour, vintage after vintage, to the great terroirs of Alsace.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Pierre Frick

The estate's 12 hectares are spread across a dozen highly diverse terroirs in terms of soil and exposure, ranging up to 15 kilometres apart, around Pfaffenheim, Rouffach, Eguisheim and Westhalten. Among them are three Grands Crus: the Steinert at Pfaffenheim, with its dry, well-drained limestone soils; the Vorbourg at Rouffach, a marl-limestone terroir with a dry, sunny climate conducive to noble rot; and the Eichberg at Eguisheim, renowned for its calcareous conglomerates and warm microclimate. These are complemented by fine lieux-dits such as Bihl, Rot Murlé, Bergweingarten, Lerchenberg, Carrières and Strangenberg.

This mosaic allows the estate to express the full range of Alsatian grape varieties: Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir. Each plot is cultivated biodynamically, in harmony with lunar and planetary rhythms, with extreme care given to soil life. Biodiversity is encouraged through the planting of hedgerows and the preservation of natural spaces, and the harvest is exclusively manual, a guarantee of raw material of exemplary purity.

Winemaking at Domaine Pierre Frick

The philosophy of the house can be summed up in one sentence: in the cellar, we do not manufacture — we raise authentic, healthy and living wines. The grapes, hand-picked, are pressed whole, without crushing, in a pneumatic press. The juices ferment using only their indigenous yeasts, without temperature control, without chaptalization and without acidity correction, so that each wine expresses the initial balance born from the terroir and the vintage.

The aging on fine lees takes place in old oak foudres of 3,000 litres, some of which are over a hundred years old. The wines are not fined and, ideally, receive no added sulphites before bottling. The estate has also made a specialty of maceration wines — these whites aged in contact with the skins — as well as a wide range of wines with no added sulphur covering all grape varieties, through to Blanc de Noir and sweet wines. The result is wines that are pure, airy and of striking aromatic transparency, capable of living and evolving long after opening.

The cuvées of Domaine Pierre Frick

Cuvée Voyages: an emblematic blend of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Sylvaner, this cuvée is a true aromatic journey through the diversity of the estate's terroirs and grape varieties. Pure and airy, it expresses with precision the entire philosophy of the house.

Sylvaner: long underestimated, this grape variety finds here a noble expression, notably with the Sylvaner Bergweingarten, sourced from the vineyard garden on the hillside adjoining the Steinert and holding a Premier Cru dossier. Notes of white peach, white flowers and citrus, with a touch of natural sweetness, make it an ideal table companion.

Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois: sourced notably from the Carrière plots, on a rare yellow sandstone, they offer two interpretations of a lesser-known grape variety, with the Auxerrois in a classic version and in a Maceration version, more textured and original.

Riesling: the king of Alsace's grape varieties, it is expressed across several great cuvées. The Riesling Grand Cru Steinert reveals itself as mineral, upright and deep, with exceptional aging potential, while the Grand Cru Vorbourg gains in richness, complemented by beautiful single-vineyard wines such as Bihl, with its unusual westerly exposure, Rot Murlé and Carrière.

Muscat Grand Cru Steinert: cultivated on a dry, well-drained limestone soil, it offers a rare profile for this grape variety — entirely dry, far from the usual sweet muscats. The nose, explosive, evokes fresh grapes and flowers, in a pure and mineral expression of the stony terroir.

Pinot Gris: the Pinot Gris Rot Murlé stands out for its density, its salinity and its great energy, while the Pinot Gris Grand Cru Vorbourg, marked by noble rot, reveals itself as ample, rich and complex, with a remarkable balance between power and freshness. The Pinot Gris Maceration, with its surprising morello cherry-coloured robe, unveils aromas of redcurrant and pomegranate.

Gewurztraminer: this grape variety is expressed across several prestigious cuvées. The Gewurztraminer Bihl asserts itself as dry, peppery and structured, far from varietal clichés; the Gewurztraminer Carrière is born from a yellow sandstone soil; and the Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Eichberg comes from a terroir of calcareous conglomerates and marls with a warm, dry microclimate.

Pinot Noir: the Pinot Noir Strangenberg, sourced from a limestone hillside with Mediterranean flora reaching up to 320 metres, is a natural red wine of great finesse and purity, built for aging. It is complemented by other interpretations such as the Pinot Noir Rot Murlé and the Pinot Noir Grosstein, on clayey soils from Westhalten.

Blanc de Noir: crafted from Pinot Noir pressed as a white wine and often offered in a zero-added-sulphite version, it delivers a delicate, taut and original expression of the red grape variety vinified as a white.

Crémant d'Alsace: sourced notably from the Lerchenberg terroir, which benefits from a Premier Cru dossier dedicated to sparkling wine, it brings together Auxerrois, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir for a fine, fresh and refined bubble, in the purest biodynamic spirit.

Sweet wines: in great vintages, the estate crafts sweet cuvées and late harvest wines, including versions with no added sulphur, where the noble rot from the terroirs of Vorbourg and Eichberg brings richness, depth and beautifully preserved freshness.

The Purs Vins, Zéro Sulfite Ajouté range: beyond the single-vineyard cuvées, the estate offers its entire range of grape varieties in a version with no added sulphites whatsoever, from the driest to the sweetest, as well as a rich palette of maceration wines. These cuvées, true fermented grape juice without any additive, embody the quintessence of Jean-Pierre Frick's work and surprise with the originality and purity of their expression.