Schoffit
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. “Schoffit produces two styles of wine – those of the Hart Plain, forward and full of fruit and those of Rangen de Thann, without a doubt the most original “Cru” in Alsace with its volcanic soil, full-bodied, rich in residual sugar and for long keeping...indeed the Clos St Theobald has taken first rank among the most complete wines from the south of Colmar. Having already won one star, Schoffit’s second is on the horizon.” - Le Classement, 1999 Revue du Vin de France. “Originating in Colmar, the historic cave is still situated in the city – the domaine owns lovely parcels in Harth, situated right outside the city. In 1986 the domaine purchased the Clos St. Theobald in the famous Rangen de Thann, and more recently a parcel in (Grand Cru) Sommerberg. The domaine is then divided into three relatively distant terroirs – with gravel of the Harth, the granite of Grand Cru Sommerberg and the volcanic in Rangen de Thann … with the opulent v.t.'s and s.g.n.'s of anthology, the immense notoriety of Rangen tends to eclipse the other terroirs. The other wines though are more accessible with, in particular, a lovely range of Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois, always well balanced. More rare the Chasselas Caroline presents a density little found in this varietal. The Riesling Sommerberg shows great promise." - Le Classement, 2003 Revue du Vin de France
Producer website on alsace-wine.net