Helfrich Cremant d'Alsace Brut
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The Helfrich family has been in Alsace for six generations making wine and “Eaux de vie” (Plum white brandy, Cherry brandy or Kirsch schnapps)
In 1979, Joseph Helfrich founded Les Grands Chais de France which in the past 33 years has become the second largest wine company in France. Frederic Helfrich and his sister, Anne-Laure, representing the newest generation of the family are now at the helm of the international growth and future markets for LGCF.
The winery is in Marlenheim (named Arthur Metz) just Northwest of Strasbourg, the capital of the region.
The family line of “Noble” wines are made with fruit sourced from six vineyards in the heart of Alsace’s famed “Couronne d’Or” region near the city of Strasbourg. The Grand Cru line is crafted with grapes from the Steinklotz Vineyardin in Marlenheim located nothern Alsace on the Eastern side of the Vosges Mountains
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
With its fairytale aesthetic, Germanic influence and strong emphasis on white wines, Alsace is one of France’s most unique viticultural regions. This hotly contested stretch of land running north to south on France’s northeastern border has spent much of its existence as German territory. Nestled in the rain shadow of the Vosges mountains, it is one of the driest regions of France but enjoys a long and cool growing season. Autumn humidity facilitates the development of “noble rot” for the production of late-picked sweet wines, Vendange Tardive and Sélection de Grains Nobles.
The best wines of Alsace can be described as aromatic and honeyed, even when completely dry. The region’s “noble” varieties, the only ones permitted within Alsace’s 51 Grands Crus vineyards, are Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Muscat, and Pinot Gris.
Riesling is Alsace’s main specialty. In its youth, Alsace Riesling is dry, fresh and floral, but develops complex mineral and flint character with age. Gewurztraminer is known for its signature spice and lychee aromatics, and is often utilized for late harvest wines. Pinot Gris is prized for its combination of crisp acidity and savory spice as well as ripe stone fruit flavors. Muscat, vinified dry, tastes of ripe green grapes and fresh rose petal.
Other varieties grown here include Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Chasselas, Sylvaner and Pinot Noir—the only red grape permitted in Alsace and mainly used for sparkling rosé known as Crémant d’Alsace. Most Alsace wines are single-varietal bottlings and unlike other French regions, are also labeled with the variety name.