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Jean-Marc Dreyer

Muscat Origin Maceration 2018

Price: $44.95
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Tasting notes

Muscat d'Alsace is one of the most terpene-rich grapes in Alsace, and skin contact here amplifies the orange blossom and lychee aromatics while adding a textural grip and a distinctly saline finish that keeps it focused and food-friendly. At 13% ABV with no added sulfites, this is a wine that drinks with energy and presence rather than the flabbiness that can plague over-extracted orange wines.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Orange BlossomLycheeApricotSaline
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied orange wine; amber-gold color; intensely aromatic; 13% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Muscat d'Alsace; certified biodynamic; clay-limestone soils on Vosges foothills, Rosheim, Bas-Rhin
  • Winemaking: 10-20 days skin maceration; indigenous yeast fermentation; aged ~11 months in old Alsace oak foudres; unfined, unfiltered, zero added sulfites
  • Serving: Serve at 54-58F; 15 minutes open before pouring; no decant needed
  • Pairing: White asparagus, seared salmon, Munster cheese, Alsatian charcuterie, Thai green curry
  • Similar To: For fans of aromatic orange wines who want floral intensity with grip and a saline finish rather than heavy extraction

Jean-Marc Dreyer's Origin Muscat Maceration is a skin-contact wine made from 100% Muscat d'Alsace grown across 25 biodynamically farmed parcels around the village of Rosheim in Bas-Rhin, about 25 kilometers southwest of Strasbourg. The parcels sit on clay-limestone soils on the Vosges foothills, with no Grand Cru classifications in the area. The 2018 vintage delivered generous yields across Alsace, and Dreyer's macerated wines came through fermentation cleanly and with full fruit expression.

After harvest, the Muscat undergoes 10 to 20 days of skin contact using a manual vertical press, then moves into large old oak foudres where fermentation continues slowly over the winter with indigenous yeasts. The wine is aged in those same foudres for approximately 11 months before bottling unfined, unfiltered, and with no added sulfites.

Dreyer stopped using sulfur entirely around 2011, following a personal commitment made after a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. His barrels are never topped up, and the wines develop a light voile without taking on heavy oxidative character. The result is a wine that is dry, textured, and aromatic, with the saline finish that defines his Origin series.

The Origin series is built around single-variety skin-contact wines from classic Alsace grapes. Muscat d'Alsace is typically the most overtly aromatic of the lineup, showing the grape's floral terpene character alongside the weight and grip that comes from extended maceration.

The dry, aromatic profile makes this a natural match for Alsatian charcuterie, white asparagus, and richer fish preparations like seared salmon or monkfish with cream sauce. The saline finish and gentle tannin structure also work well with fresh goat cheese or washed-rind cheeses like Munster. Spiced dishes such as Thai green curry or Moroccan chicken use the wine's residual aromatic intensity as a counterpoint to heat.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Orange Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Muscat
Farming:, Organic and Biodynamic
Vintage:, 2018
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, France
Region:, Alsace
Appellation:, Alsace AOC
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


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If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


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If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Jean-Marc Dreyer

Jean-Marc Dreyer is based in Rosheim, a walled town in Bas-Rhin about 25 kilometers southwest of Strasbourg. The family estate, Dreyer et Fils, dates to 1830. Jean-Marc took it over in 2003 after training at the viticultural school in Obernai and apprenticing with Patrick Meyer, one of the pioneers of biodynamic farming in Alsace. He began converting the estate to biodynamics in 2003 and received full certification in 2014.

The estate covers six hectares split across 25 parcels on the clay-limestone hillsides surrounding Rosheim. Grape varieties include Auxerrois, Sylvaner, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Muscat d'Alsace, and Pinot Noir. There are no Grand Cru classified plots near Rosheim. Part of the vineyard is worked by horse, and since 2020 tractor passes have been eliminated except for hauling harvest crates. Dreyer plants trees among the vines to increase biodiversity and allows native ground cover to grow freely throughout the parcels.

Dreyer's white wines undergo skin maceration using a manual vertical press, typically 10 to 20 days depending on the harvest rhythm. After maceration, the juice moves to tanks and then into large old Alsace oak foudres, where fermentation proceeds slowly with indigenous yeasts over the winter. The wines are bottled without fining, filtration, or added sulfites. Dreyer stopped using sulfur entirely around 2011 following a personal decision made after a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Barrels are never topped up, and the wines develop a light voile without pronounced oxidative character. The Origin series consists of single-variety maceration wines; the Muscat is aged approximately 11 months in foudre before bottling.

Wine region

Alsace, France

Alsace runs north to south along the eastern edge of France, bordered by the Vosges Mountains to the west and the Rhine River to the east. The Vosges create a strong rain shadow effect, making Alsace one of the driest wine regions in France despite its northerly latitude. The climate is semi-continental, with warm, dry summers and cold winters. Vineyards are planted primarily on the sub-Vosges hills at altitudes of roughly 200 to 360 meters, where soils range widely across clay-limestone, marl, granite, sandstone, and schist. Around Rosheim in the Bas-Rhin, the dominant soil type is clay-limestone on the Vosges foothills.

Alsace produces wine under three main appellations: Alsace AOC, Alsace Grand Cru AOC, and Cremant d'Alsace AOC. The Alsace Grand Cru designation covers 51 named vineyard sites focused on four noble varieties: Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Muscat. Muscat d'Alsace is typically a blend of Muscat blanc a petits grains and Muscat Ottonel, both of which are vinified dry in Alsace, producing intensely floral wines with aromas of orange blossom, peach, apricot, and lychee. The region also produces Pinot Noir, Sylvaner, Auxerrois, and Pinot Blanc under the broader Alsace AOC.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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