Importers take notice of Henry Fuchs

I wrote an article for the February 2014 issue of Decanter about the younger generation of vintners in Alsace and challenges they face. It was rewarding to taste wines that are not as well known across the pond and to realize that one can encounter some excellent quality for rather low prices in Alsace. One issue is the plethora of “grand cru” terroirs. For consumers I think there is a veritable mine field - as opposed to Burgundy, where although much depends on the producer, the grands crus are less numerous and more widely recognized.

In any case, during my research late last year for the article, I met - among other fine people - Paul Fuchs of Domaine Henry Fuchs, which has just under 11 hectares under vine, certified biodynamic since 2011. Paul, 34 years old, represents the third generation of the Fuchs (fox, in German) family. They make on average some 50,000 bottles of wine, 20 different kinds from seven Alsace grapes, but one of their very best comes from the Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé Grand Cru, which is a relatively small vineyard of 11 hectares, along a tall slope (between 250-370 meters) facing south-southwest, and their plot at the coolest top part - so very good for the warmer 2009 vintage. Soils are marl/limestone with a pebbly surface. I bought three bottles of the 2009, but do not see it available in the US. Hence the thread title is for, er, importers in the US to take notice!

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Tasting notes on this and two other wines from the same domain.

Henry Fuchs 2012 Auxerrois. Slightly oily aroma exuding also mirabelle and apricot, with an opulent palate. Some sulfate notes, a bit tight but just 7 weeks in bottle - this was tasted in November 2013 in fact. Less than 2 grams of residual sugar and salt fresh on the finish. Old vines on fine slopes. About 40 hectoliters per hectare, 5k bottles produced. Costs 5.50 euros at the domain, quite a bargain.

Henry Fuchs Riesling 2011: Ginger and petrol. Warmer vintage, Paul said. More alcohol than in 2012. A bit of aniseed and coconut. Raised on dead yeasts. Tasty and rich. Long maceration, no batonnage. Like Loire and Muscadet. They just sit on the lees. Pretty nice. 6.50 euros.

Henry Fuchs Kirchberg GC 2009. Warm and engaging nose, slightly yellow straw color. Evolution. Rhubarb and aniseed with mango but also crispy lime/grapefruit and wonderful lift on the salty finish. We are at the high point of the Kirchberg, the coolest part Paul said, at just under 400 meters. The coldest part and good with warmer vintages like 2009. “Belle tension” and good sap! 14 euros at the property and highly recommended, below a little video of a more recent tasting of this bottle, yesterday in fact .

Serious question, Panos…do you think any importers in the US are looking to increase their Alsace portfolios?

I’ve been paying attention since I visited the region on my honeymoon in 1983. I’ve never seen any meangingful ability to sell Alsace wines in the US…other than perhaps a producer or two as part of a portfolio. (With exceptions, of course.) It seems that most times an importer adds an Alsace producer, it is a short-lived relationship, sadly.

The best wines that nobody (in the US) can sell is how one producer aptly put it.

Good luck…

There are quite a few producers for which I’d love to see a US importer.

Thanks for this information, Panos. Who knows, maybe warmer vintages will change the wines (and marketing success) of many northern regions including Alsace. Am ignorant of many of these regions and producers but found that many producers in Germany for example are bottling more pinot noir in addition to traditional white varietals. Will this be a leading edge perhaps?

Cheers,
Doug

“Warmer” IMO has been a large part of the problem with marketing Alsace wines. Beside the bottles (which make people think they’re German, not a marketing plus) the issue in the last 20 years or so with Alsace wines is knowing the degree of sweetness and r.s. (they aren’t the same thing) in a particular bottle. I had to watch Panos’ video until close to the end to find out which this Kirchberg was (“dry”), though I’m happy that he spoke about that component, at least.
When Parker generated significant interest in the region’s wines: in the '80s and '90s, most wines, except SGN and sometimes, VT, were dry and , therefore, more versatile at the table. Then…things warmed up there…and unless you knew about a specific wine…you had no clue. That, IMO, made those few people who were interested look elsewhere, and importers couldn’t sell the category in the US for the most part, sadly.

Panos, thanks. This is a domaine I’m pretty familiar with, as a French cousin (now deceased) was a regular purchaser going back several decades. The wines almost never rose above mediocrity…at best…so if there’s been a turnaround in recent years I’m happy to hear it. They’re ideally situated for notice, right there on the main road through Ribeauvillé, which couldn’t hurt.

Thanks for reading all!
Thor, I am not familiar with older wines from this estate but I think they are indeed quite good these days.
Related to what Stuart writes above, there has been a trend towards dryer wines in Alsace.
The younger generation, well that can be defined loosely as between 20 and 30 somethings, seems more intent on making drier wines, notwithstanding continued production of sweet late harvest wines.
That has been an identity problem, this issue of residual sugars as some so called dry wines leave a sweeter impression. In my video I did mention dry at the end if only because I assumed that the viewer was thinking of dry… My bad!
Bottle shapes and names being Germanic actually pose greater problems in Paris for Alsatian producers than in important export markets, at least that is what one young vintner told me: “easier to sell Alsatian wine in Japan than it is in Paris.”
As for warmer vintages, it is all relative. Riesling does not like too much sun, and 2009 in Alsace was not as “hot” for wines as it was for say white Burgundy, although 2010 is likely a better vintage; the plots of vines located at the higher end of the Kirchberg slope certainly did well in 2009.
Stuart, your point about importers is valid: perhaps I am an optimist, that there are importers out there who want to find more options for Alsace. Then again lots of competition out there!

I have long seen a healthy selection of Alsatian (and German) whites in Oregon grocery stores. A lot of Oregon wineries have long made wines from those varieties for local consumption. Look for importers in states that have an established healthy market for those varieties, as a foot hold. Then, hopefully some good retailers who ship will carry the wines.

Thanks Wes. I sent an e-mail to the winery suggesting they look into Oregon importers. I have no business relations with Henry Fuchs but just really liked the wines I bought. There are other fine Alsatian wines not on the immediate radar, too.

By the way, a sign of the (drying) times is recent changes at Domaine Muré. I recall just 10 years ago how their supposedly dry wines had far too much residual sugar and I really disliked them. When I visited the domain last year however, I was astounded by the freshness and purity of their dry (non late harvest) whites: The white wines of Alsace Terroir.

I agree Panos, Fuchs really makes some great QPR’s and I really like the normal Riesling which is indeed bone-dry!

I’ve not read this post, nor aware of it, until now.

Anyway, I chanced upon Henry Fuschs’ 2014 Kirchberg Riesling Grand Cru at Brasserie Les Haras in Strasbourg during dinner last week. While dining, I immediately perused google in my iPhone and sent an email to Paul Fuchs, the current winemaker in Ribeauville, for an appointment in 2-3 days. He agreed and, I and wife tasted some truly good expression of local varietals in his cellar, including this pure and terroir-driven 2014 Kirchberg Riesling and his granite-soiled version of 2014 Hagel Riesling.

With wines from Alsace, I’m pretty much a Trimbach drinker, only because I admittedly don’t know any better. But Paul Fuchs’ wines are definitely now in my radar for being pure and quite precise, with high-acidity and with subtle mineral complexities. Even his 2014 Pinot Noir “Rouge Comme Renard” presents an excellent value and well-worth seeking out.

I would love to see some Alsace wines for sale if those are close to the prices…I think the challenge becomes the 3 tier system where everyone wants their mark-up and someone in the middle says, these wines are worth $x+ so I’ll just make a little more on them and the price escalates from there. I would love to see some Clos St. Immer in the US.

Kirk, Rob Panzer at Down to Earth carries a selection of the Dirler-Cade wines. With the caveat that I don’t buy a lot of Alsatian wine, I think everything he had in inventory was under $40 a bottle, so I thought the pricing was reasonable for the quality.

Great heads up, I am always keen to hear about Alsace. I have visited the area twice in the past, best visit…Weinbach!

Rob also has Bott-Geyl in stock every so often, which is another producer I love. Thanks Ramon—and, of course, Panos–for reviving and starting this thread respectively. I will put Fuchs on my list for Alsace for my 4-day visit in May with friends. Mure–that is a change!

Mike

Unfortunately, selling 5-10 containers of Riesling annually is difficult under a bargain basement pricepoint. Maybe the first year would be easy, then sluggish retail and restaurant sales cut back replenishments…

If people want Riesling to work in an export market, step one is a concerted effort to rename the ‘petrol note’ in descriptions… nothing says buy me to an uneducated consumer like ‘tastes like gasoline…’
Step two, bottles and labels are generally awful. Follow Kung Fu girls route to reach the millennial population.
Step 3, stop letting NY somms be your public face in America. Nothing somms ever push has the broad appeal to go mainstream.

I’ve not seen many, if at all, good French wines that are very close to the prices that the wines are sold for in their producing country. It is unfortunate, but it is quite the fact.

I winesearched and saw that the 2014 Fuchs Hagel and 2014 Fuchs Kirchberg Riesling are currently priced locally at $30 and $35, respectively. These are sold at the winery for Euro 14 and 18, respectively. For the quality, I think the local US pricing is justified, as Paul Fuchs and a few restaurant sommeliers that I talked to while in Alsace last week were high on the region’s 2014 vintage.

P.S. I’ve no direct/indirect relationship with either Fuchs nor the local stores that I see in winsearcher.

Ramon, to get the wines here requires investment in inventory which both an importer and a distributor need to make a profit on before it gets to retail (import and distribution standard being 20-30 pts), shipping, excise taxes, exchange rate fees, customs duties. The wines might also be sold to an importer via a French wine merchant. Now these euro prices will be below French retail or direct from winery pricing, but given the legally binding distribution rungs, there is no economically feasible alternative.

I am trying.
Bott Geyl and Dirler Cadé both are outstanding; I think Dirler is pure class. Deiss is qualitatively outstanding, if pricey. Justin Boxler is a promising up and comer.
But even the Alsace passionate geeks talk more than they buy.
C’est la vie Alsacienne aux EEUU, je suppose.
Je vais lutter, quand même.
santé