Winemakers: Domaine Lissner

Spanning ten hectares around the historical village of Wolxheim—just thirty minutes west of Strasbourg—Domaine Lissner cultivates vines situated on six distinctive terroirs. Ascending to the area’s highest elevations and viewpoint, the plots are located on a unique fault zone composed of limestone and sandstone, with some bordered by forest.  Founded in 1848 by Clément Lissner, the domain was taken over by his nephew by marriage—attorney by practice, agronomist and activist by passion—Bruno Schloegel, in 2001. His middle son, Théo, joined him in 2014, following the completion of a degree in biology (with a focus on animal and vetegal physiology) from the Institut le Bel in Strasbourg. Self-proclaimed “wild, free and alive,” an unparalleled precedence is given to the thriving native flora and fauna and inherent biodiversity of the vineyard, forming the basis of their iconic hands-off approach. Since Bruno’s inheritance of the domain, the soils have not been worked, plowed or otherwise disturbed (now for over 25 years) and no compost or cover crops ever used,  promoting the natural equilibrium of the plants and wildlife and thus the inherent resilience of the vines. Along with trees, grass, wildflowers, and brambles, the vineyards are a haven for deer, birds and insects.

Grapes are harvested at peak maturity—often flirting with the point of “over-ripeness”—allowing for the ultimate expression of each unique terroir and vintage, and balance of sugar, acidity, minerality, and salinity. Clusters are meticulously selected during harvest and again verified before slow (8-10 hour) pneumatic pressing. Everything in the cellar is done by gravity, and the wines undergo often extended aging on lees in traditional Alsatian foudres (and the occasional stainless steel for the Grand Crus) without any intervention apart from the rare addition of sulfur as needed.

The domain’s long-term approach and return to pre-conventional farming practices vary tremendously from the predominant methods in the area and have been widely advocated for by Bruno and Théo. They have heavily petitioned for and defended the Appellation Alsace Contrôlée classification for both their own cuvées and those of other low-intervention winemakers in the region.