Just south of beautiful Strasbourg is the village of Mittelbergheim with about 700 inhabitants, of which 20 families produce wine. Here we find the Kleinknecht family, headed by André and Isabelle, closely followed by their children Fanny and Jules.
9 hectares of land are cultivated organically since 1998 (first in the area!) and biodynamically since 2012, divided into several Grand cru's and lieux-dits where lime, sand and marl dominate. They have been Demeter certified since 2014. With Jean-Pierre Frick and Patrick Meyer as major influences, they are now also a sulfur-free winemaker.
The family is constantly striving to improve the quality of the grapes and soil, and one result of this is the use of horses on the Zotzenberg Grand Cru and Rebbuhl lieu- dit plots. The soil is porous and has a light top layer, and is not built to have heavy machinery or clumsy wheels plowing up the ground.
The four varieties were used as the base for the wine, which was brewed, fermented and aged with the juice from the Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris pomace (50%) and the Pinot Gris (50%) was added according to the Solera system. The wine has a melancholy salmon-orange color. The wine has a fresh finish, with a hint of marmalade and sugarcane, bitter orange and saltiness.