The Bohn family have been winegrowers for well over three centuries in Reichsfeld, a small village at the far end of their valley where until recently, the local Alsatian dialect was still more common than French. Now, Bernard and his son Arthur farm just over nine hectares and go beyond organic agriculture to incorporate uncommon techniques in the region, like completely abandoning vineyard plowing and allowing cover crops to coexist to create balance in their vineyards.

While father Bernard was still in high school, he decided to leave his Jesuit boarding school and enroll in the local winemaking program. With the bare minimum certification in hand, he returned home and announced to his father that he would like to take over the winery. At the time, the domaine was spread out over many small parcels in the village, but Bernard had his sights on the Schieferberg, a backbreaking slope composed of nearly pure schist, where the Bohn family constructed a small chapel many years earlier. Through a series of purchases, inherited vineyards, and trades with other winemakers who preferred flatter and easier to work parcels, Bohn managed to cobble together a single 5-hectare parcel of old vine Riesling and Pinot Gris.

Like many domaines in Alsace, the winery produces a dizzying array of cuvées, due to the diversity of grape varieties and exposures that make these valley hillsides so compelling. Currently at Domaine Bohn, it’s 30 or so wines at current count. For some years, as Arthur and Bernard have had conversations about how to vinify the wines, the wines have fallen into two camps: the ‘typical’ Alsatian wines and the natural wines labeled ‘Par Nathur’. All the wines, however, come from estate, organically-farmed vineyards; they’re all fermented with native yeasts.

All this said, the gap between the more classically-styled range at Bohn and the more natural range is closing; as of 2018 or ’19 or so, the style between the wines in their various terroirs is reaching something of a unified harmony. It’s still the case that anything labeled ‘par Nathur’ is always vinified and bottled unfiltered with no added SO2. (This cuvée indication followed a stern letter from the Alsace AOP, which ‘reminded’ the domaine that the label ‘Par Nature’ was not allowed; as a result the family combined Arthur and Nature to create ‘Par Nathur,’ which is ‘tolerated’ by the AOP though not necessarily approved.) In this range, we find not only a sans soufre version of the ‘typical’ range, but some unique or experimental bottlings specials, such as a field-blend orange wine or the ‘Coup de Jus’ made from whole-cluster Pinot Noir grapes infused in Pinot Gris and Riesling. But the division between the ‘typical’ and ‘natural’ range is completely fluid—the typical wines receive minimal doses of SO2 (less than 1g at bottling) that would qualify as natural at most other domaines, and they occasionally decide to hold a ‘Par Nathur’ wine for a few more years if it’s not ready for release.

The Bohn domaine is full of surprises—each new bottling we see from this family and their vineyards delights and excites us. We’re of the opinion that Alsace is one of the more potential-rich regions in France today, with copious old vineyards and cellars ready for new expressions of powerful terroirs. With contemporaries like Domaine Rietsch, Beck-Hartwig, Kumpf et Mayer, and others, we’re certain Domaine Bohn is an important one to include—and one to watch.