Complantation 2022 by Marcel Deiss

Complantation by Marcel Deiss was a wine I’d been eager to try for quite some time. I’d seen it in indie wine shops like Pub Klemo and was intrigued by the philosophy behind the product. But before we dive into the wine review, let’s set the stage with a little background on its origin and the estate that produces it.

Alsace

There is something deeply fascinating about talking about Alsace, a territory that more than any other seems to exist in a space‑time suspension, caught between two souls that have vied for its identity for centuries. In terms of culture, landscape, and wine tradition, Alsace has more in common with Germany than with France—a statement best whispered, so as not to trigger another world war.

And indeed, everything here speaks of frontiers—of crossroads and cross‑pollination. Even the grape varieties evoke Germany: with Chardonnay banished, Riesling takes center stage alongside Gewurztraminer, Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, and other Teutonic company. The wines themselves seem to obey their own logic, free from the dictates of modern marketing and from the internal consistency of French viticulture.

Alsace’s misstep has been its inability to position itself clearly in the market, with labels, appellations, and quality scales that are often confusing—again, structured more like German than French categories: Grand Cru, Lieu‑Dit, Vendanges Tardives, Sélections de Grains Nobles… an eno‑graphic spectrum as rich as it is intricate, almost designed to discourage the casual buyer.

It is a captivating borderland that seems to have taken a path quite apart from the rest of the French scene, perhaps even a slightly obscure one. We know everything about Burgundy and Bordeaux; the Loire has its niche; Champagne is beyond dispute; the Rhône likewise, heaven forbid; Languedoc is coming into its own, shedding its bulk‑wine stereotype. But Alsace? What do we really know about Alsace?

Geographically, it is wedged between the Vosges to the west and the Rhine to the east. This mountain barrier shields the vineyards from excessive rainfall, making Alsace one of the driest regions in France. The climate is semi‑continental, with harsh winters, hot summers, and wide temperature swings, yielding wines with powerful aromatic expression and excellent acidity.

Production is almost exclusively white, often single‑varietal, with a very clear identity. The classification distinguishes among Alsace AOC, Alsace Grand Cru AOC, and Crémant d’Alsace AOC, with two great aromatic pillars: dry, structured Riesling and opulent, often off‑dry Gewurztraminer. Sweeter styles (Vendanges Tardives, Sélections de Grains Nobles) are also present, as is a traditional‑method sparkling wine—Crémant d’Alsace.

The styles are numerous but united by a common thread: precision, varietal expression, and acidity. Though, it must be said, there is no shortage of over‑the‑top wines, sugary bottles disguised as dry, and overly didactic labels. In short, it’s a region to explore slowly—perhaps forgetting France for a moment and considering what a German might do, albeit with a touch more charm.

Marcel Deiss

At the heart of producer Marcel Deiss’s philosophy lies complantation, an idea more familiar to those who frequent the mixed vineyards of the Trieste Karst or Vienna than the monovarietal plantings common elsewhere. It consists of planting different varieties in the same plot, allowing the terroir—and not the winemaker—to determine the balance of acidity, structure, and aromas. Heresy to some, but also a profound respect for nature’s complexity.

In this way, a vineyard becomes a small community: not a monoculture pushed to the maximum varietal expression, but a collection of vines that compensate, challenge, and support one another—Riesling with Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer with Sylvaner, Muscat with whoever happens to be there. No hierarchy, no supermarket‑style labels—just the name of the place, as was once customary, and as is still done in those less fashionable corners of the wine world.

For the same reason, biodynamics for Deiss is not a certificate but a logical necessity: there is no complantation without ecological balance, no balance without listening, and no listening while the ego clogs one’s ears.

The domaine is based in Bergheim but owns parcels in some of Alsace’s most prized sites: from Mambourg to Schoenenbourg, through Altenberg de Bergheim and Gruenspiel, to legendary crus such as Burg, Grasberg, and Rotenberg—a mosaic of soils and exposures perfectly suited to the idea of wine as an expression of the genius loci rather than of the grape variety.

Review: Complantation 2022 by Marcel Deiss

Within the range of Marcel Deiss wines, Complantation serves as the conceptual gateway to the house philosophy: a co‑planted white blend that lightly (and accessibly) previews what one later finds in the crus. It is the wine that most explicitly showcases complantation—without yet bearing the full gravitas of the great lieux‑dits, yet carrying all the ideological charge of the Deiss approach.

The bottle cost €19.50: a price in line with its value and with what it aims to represent.

In the glass it shows a golden yellow hue with straw reflections. The nose is immediately distinctive: walnuts, dried fruit, marzipan, white flowers, nutmeg, honey—an evolved, rich, and rather unique aromatic profile. The palate confirms this: excellent fruit concentration, with pronounced nutty and honeyed notes. There is the region’s classic residual sugar, balanced by a vibrant attack. The body is full and enveloping, perhaps with a touch more alcohol than necessary, though well integrated.

The finish is slightly saline and, while not long, possesses that incisive character only certain citrus‑fruit notes (in this case, blood orange) can impart. Paired with a scallop carpaccio, it was superb: the two flavors seemed to travel parallel paths before converging in an embrace that elevated both. A good wine, though it did not strike a deep chord with my personal tastes.