Kuentz-Bas is one of Alsace's storied names, an estate whose winemaking has been documented in the village archives since the late 18th century and which has found new energy in the hands of a celebrated vigneron.
Backstory
The Kuentz family's winemaking activity in Husseren-les-Chateaux dates back to 1795, when Joseph Kuentz founded the estate. The domaine as it is known today was formed in 1895, when a marriage joined the Kuentz and Bas families. For more than two centuries the house built its reputation supplying French restaurants, first in Alsace and the Vosges, then in Paris and abroad.
In 2004 the property was acquired by Jean-Baptiste Adam, a renowned vigneron whose own family has made wine in Alsace since 1614. He has led the estate into a new era focused on terroir and lower-intervention farming.
The Region
The estate sits among the villages of the Alsace wine route, with Husseren-les-Chateaux perched at one of the highest points along it. Kuentz-Bas draws on celebrated terroirs including the Grand Cru Eichberg and Grand Cru Pfersigberg.
Vineyards and Farming
Under Jean-Baptiste Adam, the vineyards converted to organic and then biodynamic viticulture from 2004, with the goal of expressing each site more faithfully and lifting overall quality.
Winemaking
The wines are vinified according to simple, natural methods. Depending on the cuvee, they are raised either in century-old oak casks, allowing gentle micro-oxidation, or in stainless steel tanks to preserve fresh fruit aromas.
The Wines
The range covers the classic Alsace grapes, from a fresh Pinot Blanc and an Alsace Blanc blend to terroir-driven Riesling and grand cru bottlings, all true to their origins.
