Domaine Schoffit

"Schoffit is emerging as one of Alsace’s newest stars." - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
 
The Schoffit, in this case is Bernard Schoffit, the brilliant young pioneer in Alsace’s greatest Grand Cru, Rangen de Thann. The domaine started by Bernard's father, Robert, is situated near Colmar, and that holding consists of 10 hectares. But fifteen years ago, Bernard, then still very young, embarked on an ambitious program of buying land in Rangen, around the Clos St. Theobold, totaling nearly 6.5 hectares, a good part of it abandoned, because it was too steep to work. Too steep to work for everyone but Bernard Schoffit. Through sheer determination and ambition, he has now reclaimed all 6.5 hectares, and from these incredibly steep slopes, and from even more incredibly low yields, he is producing simply extraordinary wine from each cepage he produces in Rangen (witness the review in Issue #129 of The Wine Advocate). Bernard’s gift for wine-making is not reserved only for his Rangen wines, though. For the vineyards near Colmar he practices the same rigorous approach to yields, and that combined with some very old vines, produces under his guiding hand wines that are all marked by the following characteristics: intense and very pure varietal character; great concentration of fruit and richness on the palate, and perfect acidity to balance and carry this weight into a long and brilliant finish.