2023 Rittersberg

Wine is nothing new to young Léonard Dietrich, and in fact the Dietrich family can be dated back to the 17th century, where they still belong in the small town at the foot of the Vosges, Dambach-La-Ville.

After working for the family for several years and having completed a number of wine studies, Léonard went out to see the world. But the urge in him to make his own wine was too strong, and in 2020 he was able to release his first vintage, which was also what convinced us about his talent. The quantities, however, are small due to the minimal production and high local demand.

Léonard owns two hectares around Dambach-La-Ville, which includes the vineyards Grand Cru Frankstein, Frauenberg & Breitstein. Biodiversity and biodynamics are very much priorities, and thus Léonard plants trees and flowers and is in the process of learning how to use a horse in the vineyards. For the past few years, he has worked for Patrick Meyer in the neighbouring town of Nothalten, which has given him a deep understanding of the cultivation of the vineyards and the processes in the cellar.

Léonard Dietrich is a young and hard-working winemaker, who works impeccably in the vineyards and has a great understanding of his terroir. The wines are deep, serious and vigorous. In addition to making wine from his own vineyards, he also makes wines from purchased grapes. Here, the goal is, on the other hand, to make light and juicy wines, which you don’t need to think too much about, but which go down surprisingly fast.