Riesling Grand Cru Kastelberg 2021 | Julien Schaal | Alsace

Julien Schaal is an Alsatian oenologist who began his career with stints in Burgundy, the Rhône and Lebanon before leaving for South Africa in 2005, where he spent nearly a decade in the Elgin region. It was there, at Paul Cluver estate, that he met Sophie, his future wife. In 2011, back in Alsace, he co-founded the négociant Biecher & Schaal with Olivier Biecher, based in an 18th-century cellar in Saint-Hippolyte. The project — now under the shared entity SAS Vins Schaal — operates as a high-precision négociant: selecting parcels across Alsace's finest Grand Crus, purchasing the grapes and vinifying them in his own cellar.

Julien's range spans up to nine Grand Crus, each chosen for the singularity of its soil. Kastelberg (Andlau) is the only Grand Cru in Alsace on Silurian blue schist: it gives Riesling a tense, smoky, world-class minerality. Rangen (Thann), the most southerly of all Alsace Grand Crus, grows on volcano-sedimentary soils — greywacke and volcanic tuff — on slopes reaching 67%, an extreme terroir that produces powerful, spiced wines. Rosacker (Hunawihr, at the foot of the cellar) is limestone-dominated, the historic home of Trimbach's Clos Ste. Hune; Julien works two distinct expressions here. The range also includes Sommerberg (granite, Niedermorschwihr), Brand (Turckheim) and Muenchberg.

In the cellar, the approach favours maximum transparency: slow whole-bunch pressing, spontaneous fermentation, extended lees aging in stainless steel or old wood depending on the cru, and minimal sulphites. Organic certification covers the full range, both in Alsace and South Africa. Born of Fire is Julien's South African line, produced from Syrah and Chenin Blanc grown in the Swartland and Cape Coast regions under the same organic rigour, with a more Atlantic and spice-driven character. Jancis Robinson awarded the Kastelberg 2021 17++/20 — one of the highest scores she has given to any Alsace Grand Cru Riesling.