Jean Marc Dreyer: Reliable wines from Alsace

Jean-Marc Dreyer – Introduction

We first met Jean Marc Dreyer from the village of Rosheim in Alsace a number of years ago at a winter salon in the tiny village of Glaine-Montaigut in the hills to the east of the Auvergne city of Clermont-Ferrand.

It is a small salon, but we always meet interesting vignerons there and Jean-Marc was no exception. We were incredibly impressed with the purity of his wines and his work with maceration that lifted the wines to another level.

Based on this tasting we asked him if he was interested in working with us and he agreed, but he didn’t have much wine to sell us at the time and also we think he wanted us to come to see him first, which is not uncommon among the winemakers we work with.

We have visited him in his village of Rosheim, and it is always a pleasure to taste the wines again and to discuss his approach to vineyard management and winemaking.

We have written a story that covers a visit to Rosheim. You can read about it by following the link below:

Two visits to Jean-Marc Dreyer in Rosheim

Here is another, more detailed story about Jean-Marc Dreyer from the Back in Alsace Web site.

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Argitis Riesling 2017

The Dreyer Argitis is a white wine made from direct press Riesling grapes. The name Argitis is the old Alsace name for Riesling. The grapes were harvested by hand, pressed and then transferred to large wooden foudre.

A veil of yeast protected the juice from excessive oxidation, however Jean-Marc did not top the foudre up during this time. The resulting wine has pleasant oxidative notes making it a great wine to team with spicy food. It also has incredible length!

RRP: $42 (SOLD OUT)

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Weg Pinot Gris 2018

Dreyer Weg Pinot Gris 2018

The Weg is made from direct press Pinot Gris grapes. The grapes were harvested by hand, pressed and then transferred to 600 litre demi mouid barrels. A veil of yeast protected the juice from excessive oxidation, however Jean-Marc did not top the demi mouids up during this time. The resulting wine has pleasant oxidative notes.

RRP: $51 (SOLD OUT)

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Finisterra 2021

Finisterra is a maceration wine that does not fit the Origin series because it is not a single variety wine. Rather it is a complex and delightful blend of Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Muscat d’Alsace and Auxerrois that have been macerated and then joined together to create this absolutely delicious, fresh orange wine with beautifully controlled light tannins.

RRP: $68

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Stratos 2019

Dreyer Stratos

Jean-Marc Dreyer’s Stratos is a maceration white wine made from Riesling, Auxerrois and Sylvaner. It is a very fresh wine that sits for a long time. There have been no additions or additional processes used for this wine. Therefore, it has no added sulphites, no added anything else and has not been subject to any fining or filtration.

RRP: $64 (SOLD OUT)

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Elios Pinot Noir 2021

The Pinot Noir grapes for the Elios cuvée were crushed and macerated for a short time and then the juice was transferred to a large foudre where it matured for 11 months. The resultant wine is amazingly fresh and vibrant and packed with energy and tension. There are even notes of leather and earth showing through this intriguing wine which is immensely pleasurable to drink. This is one of the Pinot Noir wines that we point to when people argue that it is only in Burgundy that Pinot Noir shines. We beg to differ!

RRP: $63

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Triaux NV

This is a remarkable wine from Jean-Marc Dreyer where the result is greater than the sum of the parts! It is made from the Auxerrois grape variety which is becoming increasingly popular in Alsace. We wrote about this member of the Pinot family (it is also known as Pinot Auxerrois) in the May 2022 newsletter where you can read more about it.

The wine is a blend of three separate vintages of the Auxerrois grape variety which has been matured in a large wooden foudre.

In each vintage the grapes have been matured under veil with no topping-up to add complexity and interest. Prior to bottling, the juice of the previous three vintages of the macerated Auxerrois (hence the name Triaux) is combined to create an even more complex and more interesting wine.

The French web site Vins Chez Nous had this to say about the 2020 release which contains the vintages 2018, 2019 and 2020:

Jean-Marc offers us a very elegant orange wine, without any heaviness; and with a lot of complexity …[and]… aromatic variety.

RRP: $73 (SOLD OUT)

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Anigma Pinot Noir 2018

The Pinot Noir grapes for the Anigma cuvee were crushed and macerated for a short time and then the juice was transferred to a 225 litre barrique where it matured for 11 months.

This is a beautiful red wine with an almost velvet texture and (in a very good way) a streak of volatility that enhances the flavour rather than detracts.

RRP: $58 (SOLD OUT)

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Origin Sylvaner 2021

All of Jean-Marc’s Origin wines have undergone between 10 and 20 days of maceration depending on the grape variety and their condition when they are carried in from the vineyard.

This cuvee is made from 100% Sylvaner and is a beautiful wine of considerable elegance. It was aged in a demi mouid for 11 months. This is a perfect expression of a macerated wine.

We wrote about this grape variety in our April 2018 Wine talk newsletter and provided the following information about the origin of this grape variety:

The parents of the Sylvaner grape have been confirmed by DNA testing as Traminer and Österreichisch Weiss. Traminer has been known for a long time as a native grape of Italy (although it has gradually moved across to include eastern France in the Jura region where it is known as Savgnin) and Österreichisch Weiss is a native of eastern Austria.

RRP: $63

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Origin Auxerrois 2021

Dreyer Origin Auxerrois

All of Jean-Marc’s Origin wines have undergone between 10 and 20 days of maceration depending on the grape variety and their condition when they are carried in from the vineyard.

This cuvee is made from 100% Auxerrois and is a beautiful wine made from this descendant of Chardonnay which means that it is also a descendant of Pinot Noir. It is thought to have originated somewhere in the North-East corner of France, namely either Lorraine or Alsace. The wine was aged in a barrique for 11 months.

You can read more about the Auxerrois Blanc grape variety in our July 2023 newsletter which you can find here.

RRP: $63

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Origin Riesling 2021

The Riesling Origin is a macerated version made from 100% Riesling which was aged in a foudre for 11 months.

RRP: $66

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Origin Pinot Gris 2021

The Pinot Gris Origin is a macerated version (the maceration was allowed to proceed for 10 days) made from 100% organic Pinot Gris which was aged in a wooden foudre for 11 months.

It is interesting to read what French-American natural wine guru Aaron Ayscough has to say about the Origin series of wines after a visit to his winery in Alsace:

“some of the most characterful, saline, and balanced skin-macerated whites of France. They possess the bristling purity of, say, the wines of Savoie orange wine pioneer Jean-Yves Péron, yet with ampler fruit, less extraction, and unforced grace.”

This year, the colour is less pink than usual – it is more orange. This is a result of the seasons (last year it was much more of a pink hue). The reason is that, depending on the weather, the anthocyanins (molecules that form in the skin of the grapes and gives them their colour) differ in their structure and hence they reflect different parts of the light spectrum.

The alcohol level is also different with the 2020 being 13% alcohol and this vintage, 2021, being 12.5%.

RRP: $68

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Origin Muscat 2021

The Muscat Origin is a macerated version made from 100% Muscat d’Alsace which was aged in a foudre for 11 months. It is a delightful drink which matches a wide range of foods.

RRP: $73

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Origin Gewurztraminer 2021

The Gewurztraminer Origin is a macerated version made from 100% Gewurztraminer which was aged in a foudre for 11 months. It is released under the Vins d’Alsace appellation. As with all of Jean-Marc’s wines they are never filtered and they never have any sulphites added to them.

RRP: $68

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Siggi 2017

Dreyer Siggi Sylvaner 2017

Unlike Jean-Marc’s Origin series this is one of his oxidative wines where the vessel has not been topped up during fermentation or maturation. It is a stunning wine of great complexity. It is ready to drink now but will also benefit from extra time in the bottle.

RRP: $49 (SOLD OUT)

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Pink Pong 2019

Pink Pong is a stunning wine made from a mix of macerated Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. This vintage (2020) is deeper in colour than the 2019 vintage but is still light in the mouth but accompanied by an incredible depth of flavour. This is a very interesting wine that provides incredible pleasure from the first sip to the last!

RRP: $58 (SOLD OUT)

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Fisterra 2019

Fisterra is comprised of two thirds Gewurztraminer and one third Riesling with a tiny amount of Auxerrois. This is an incredibly soft and gentle wine with an appealing silky texture and a perfect balance between the two main grapes – neither dominates but each adds to the complexity of the wine. The wine is named after a town Jean-Marc visited after he had completed the Camino de Santiago walk. He added to the walk by visiting the town of Fisterra by the ocean which is about 80 kilometres further on from the final destination of the walk to Santiago de Compostela.

RRP: $64 (SOLD OUT)

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Héraclès Gewurztraminer 2015

Héraclès is a maceration of Gewurztraminer which has been aged in a demi mouid for three years without being topped up. The resultant wine is a real treat for those who enjoy Jura-style oxidative wines.

RRP: $76 (SOLD OUT)

Jean-Marc Dreyer AOC Alsace Gauthier MAGNUM 2021

This wine is a blend of each of the macerated white wines made by Jean-Marc. It is therefore comprised of Riesling, Auxerrois, Pinot Gris, Sylvaner,Muscat and Gewurztraminer.

The Gauthier is only available in Magnums. The wine is made from all of the extra volume tht cannot be used for the 750ml bottles and is a taste sensation. This is a stunning wine with beautiful acidity and lovely tannic structure.