Aimé Stentz

Domaine Aimé Stentz has been rooted in the Alsatian village of Wettolsheim for no less than five generations and represents the expression of a craftsmanship of work and production inaugurated back in 1919 by Jacob Stentz, who started the family business by purchasing the Auberge de l'Agneu and gradually transforming it into the headquarters of the estate's winery. Théophile began winemaking on his own in 1946 and selling wine in bulk, while it would not be until 1960 with Aimé and his wife Angèle that the winery as it still exists today was founded: care of the vineyards, winemaking and bottling on his own. The domaine is now run by their grandson, Marc Stentz.

The operational headquarters of Domaine Aimé Stentz is based in the village of Wettolsheim, and the family vineyard is spread over 7 communes, divided into 60 different parcels, with a total size of 14 hectares. The soils are extremely diverse and define the 5 Grand Cru estates: Steingrübler, Hengst, Sommerberg, Florimont and Pfersigberg are characterized by deep limestone matrices, with varying compositions of marl, granite, conglomerates from the Oligocene period and marine shell fossils. They are flanked by the two lieu-dits Neufeld and Rosenberg, with higher percentages of clay and sand. Exposures veer between east and full south, with elevations between 260 and 400 meters above sea level. Extreme variety is taken advantage of by local grape varieties, bred according to the rules of the organic certification recognized in 2010: Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Muscat, Sylvaner, Pinot Noir. In the course of terracing work, a Roman-era foundation was discovered in 1969 in the Hengst Grand Cru area in Wintenheim: archaeological excavations date the origin of this structure used to shelter wayfarers to the 1st century B.C., later transformed into a defensive structure by the Alamanni during the 4th century. The site is unique along the wine route in Alsace and has been classified as a historic monument since 1970.

Domaine Aimé Stentz's vinifications create terroir expressions that are particularly typical and representative of environmental diversity. Grapes are processed purely or in blends to create traditional dry wines, or the more sought-after Vendanges Tardives or the pinnacle of production, Selections de Grains Nobles, with gradually increasing sugar residues. Fermentations are spontaneous, generally in steel, and ageing uses classic large wooden barrels, several passages old.