Domaine Jean-Baptiste Adam

Alsace · France

Established in Ammerschwihr since 1614, the Adam family is now in its fifteenth generation of winegrowers. The estate is farmed biodynamically and holds the Kaefferkopf as its favourite terroir.

Certifications

Domaine Jean-Baptiste Adam, Panorama : coteaux de vignes et village d'Ammerschwihr (bandeau 2,86:1)

1614 The house is founded in Ammerschwihr
15 Generations of winegrowers
1834 Oldest Alsace wine label, already bearing the name Kaefferkopf
2003 The entire estate converts to biodynamics

I · The story

Four centuries in Ammerschwihr

The house was born in 1614, when Jean-Baptiste Adam settled in Ammerschwihr as a “gourmet-viticulteur”. This role, unique to the Alsace vineyards, made him a man of trust, both broker and expert, who guided the restaurateurs who came to taste the wines before buying them. The family's coat of arms was registered in the Armorial of Alsace in 1696, and the gourmetage ledger has recorded sales since 1786.

The house printed the oldest known Alsace wine label: dated 1834, it already bears the name Kaefferkopf. The first shipments left for the United States in 1871, then for Tokyo and Yokohama in 1895. During the Second World War, the cellars sheltered the villagers, and the large oak casks were spared. In 1957, Jean Adam, supported by his wife Paulette, developed estate bottling and sales.

Jean-Baptiste Adam joined the estate in 1982, after studying oenology in Beaune, and has run it since 1990. In 2003, the family decided to farm the entire estate biodynamically. His daughter Laure, the fifteenth generation, joined him in 2012 after an MBA in Wine, Trade and Management, and devotes herself to export and marketing. The house celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2014.

“We chose the path of rigour and patience by growing our vines biodynamically. This commitment was made to convey, with generosity and precision, the highest expression of our terroirs.”

Jean-Baptiste Adam

II · The terroirs

Kaefferkopf, Letzenberg, Sonnenberg

Renowned since the Middle Ages, the Kaefferkopf of Ammerschwihr is the pride of the estate. It stretches across several sub-Vosges hills, between 240 and 320 metres in altitude. Its siliceous, granitic soil rests on a clay-limestone subsoil. Promoted to Alsace's 51st Grand Cru in 2007, it gives the estate its Riesling Vieilles Vignes and the Le Grand K cuvée.

In Ingersheim, the Letzenberg lieu-dit, “the last hill”, offers a red marl, clay and limestone soil, laid over conglomerates of sandstone and limestone pebbles. Heavy, rich and full of trace elements, it sometimes has no more than 20 cm of topsoil. The roots dig deep, and the terroir favours powerful, opulent wines of great aromatic finesse.

Perched on steep, sun-drenched slopes, the Sonnenberg, “the hill of the sun”, enjoys a microclimate well suited to Pinot Noir. Its clay-limestone and granitic soils, rich in minerals, produce fine and complex wines. Working this steep terrain is demanding.

AOP Alsace Grand Cru Kaefferkopf
AOP Alsace

Domaine Jean-Baptiste Adam, Vendangeurs dans les vignes en coteau, vue sur Ammerschwihr et la plaine d'Alsace

Flagship estates

I
Kaefferkopf
Grand Cru of Ammerschwihr
II
Letzenberg
Lieu-dit in Ingersheim
III
Sonnenberg
Hillside in Ammerschwihr

Domaine Jean-Baptiste Adam, Vigneron au travail dans un rang en pente, collines vosgiennes en fond

Domaine Jean-Baptiste Adam, Cave : grands foudres sculptés (bandeau 2,86:1)

Domaine Jean-Baptiste Adam, Rangs de vignes au printemps, ciel bleu

Allée de grands foudres dans la cave du Domaine Jean-Baptiste Adam, à Ammerschwihr

III · The craft

Biodynamics, from vineyard to cellar

The estate regards the vine as a living organism. Treatments use no pesticides or insecticides, but rather sulphur, copper and herbal infusions such as yarrow and nettle. Biodynamic preparations 500 and 501 and an enriched compost support the soil through the seasons. On the steepest slopes, ploughing is done by horse, during the descending moon.

New plantings are set at 150 cm between rows and 80 cm between vines, or 8,300 vines per hectare: under this competition, the roots grow straight down into the soil. Harvesting is done by hand, with porters, and whole grapes go into pneumatic presses. For the great wines: static settling, vinification in century-old oak casks at 20 °C, then filtration and bottling at the estate.

Organic farmingAB and EU organic logos on the technical sheets
BiodynamicsDemeter, “Nos grands vins biodynamiques” range

The selection

The estate’s wines

View all 11 wines

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