The Schoech family can trace its roots in the vineyards of Ammerschwihr back to 1650. Artifacts from their heritage are on proud display in their cellar in the village of Ammerschwihr. The current estate was established in 1971 on the edge of the village and retains the name Maurice Schoech, although today the domaine is run by his sons, Jean-Léon and Sebastien Schoech.
The estate produces 25 different cuvées from 11 hectares of vines, 70% of which are located in prime hillside locations and harvested manually. All of the parcels are in and around Ammerschwihr except for one 0.5 ha plot in the famed Rangen de Thann vineyard, which is 15km south of the village. Including this little gem, a total of four hectares are planted in Grand Cru vineyards, with about 2.5 hectares in Kaefferkopf and 1 hectare in Mambourg.
The current estate was established in 1971 on the edge of the village and retains the name Maurice Schoech, although today the domaine is run by his sons, Jean-Léon and Sebastien Schoech.
The renown of the Kaefferkopf vineyard can be traced back to 1832, when the first bottles bearing its name were produced. It was not designated “Grand Cru” until 2007, when it became the 51st vineyard in Alsace to receive this classification. It is one of only two Grand Cru vineyards where a blend of grape varieties is permitted, along with the Altenberg site in Bergheim. The domaine’s Rangen de Thann plot is, in fact, planted to Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Riesling; the wine is a blend of those varieties and therefore the wine is not labeled Grand Cru, bearing simply the proprietary name “Harmonie R” instead.
Farming
Certified organic by Ecocert since 2014, with some biodynamic practices, practicing organic long before certification
Treatments
Only copper sulfate
Ploughing
Annual mechanical ploughing
Soils
A panoply of soils, reflecting the geological and topographic diversity of Alsace: mostly limestone-marl, with significant granite, sandstone, and the volcanic Rangen de Thann
Vines
All trained in Guyot, mostly planted between 5,000-5,500 vines/ha. Vine age ranges from 10-50 years old.
Yields
Deleafing and debudding, no green harvesting
Harvest
All by hand, harvest usually ranges from the beginning to the end of September.
PURCHASING
Entirely estate fruit
Fermentation
All spontaneous (except the Côtes d’Ammerschwihr and Pinot Auxerrois), and all in stainless steel. Fermentation lasts 1-3 months.
Extraction
Wines see no maceration and very little bâtonnage during ageing.
Chaptalization
None
Pressing
Direct, whole-cluster, pneumatic pressing
PRESS WINE
Ferments with vin de goutte
Malolactic Fermentation
Very rarely occurs, controlled by temperature
Élevage
All wines rest between 6-12 months in stainless steel tanks; grand cru wines age for 2 years in bottle.
LEeS
All wines rest sur lie for the majority of their élevages
FINING & FILTRATION
No fining, kieselguhr (diatomaceous earth) and plate filtration
SULFUR
Applied after fermentation and at bottling. < 100 mg/l total and 30 mg/l free.
