TERROIR PROFILE
Nord (Marlenheim–Barr)
Elegant north — sandstone-limestone mix
Bas-Rhin — elegant, cooler northern Alsace. Marc Kreydenweiss (Demeter pioneer) farms here.
Climate, site & wine
Muschelkalk is the most widespread rock here and gives the wines a broad, strong acid structure; in Andlau and Villé, schist occurs more rarely, in the Kastelberg grand cru with smoky, precise Rieslings. The Wiebelsberg stands on sandstone.
Mittelbergheim is known for Sylvaner, Marlenheim for Pinot Noir; typical are rather lean, spicy wines. The grands crus of the region lie mainly around Andlau, Barr and Bergbieten.
TERROIR PROFILE · Alsace
Nord (Marlenheim–Barr) Elegant north — sandstone-limestone mix
Bas-Rhin — elegant, cooler northern Alsace. Marc Kreydenweiss (Demeter pioneer) farms here.
SOILS
Muschelkalk limestoneprecise, salty-mineral
Muschelkalk yields a crisp mineral acidity and salty depth.
Marlbalanced, structured
Marl is a mix of limestone and clay — yields structured, balanced wines with acidity backbone.
Sandstonewarm, dry, spicy
Sandstone warms quickly and yields ripe, fragrant wines with yellow fruit and fine spice.
Slatemineral, smoky
Slate stores heat and releases it at night — wines show wet stone, smoke and a delicate structure.
CLIMATE · Warm · Dry · Sunny
In the rain shadow of the Vosges: warm summers and cool nights give fresh, elegant wines. As elsewhere in Alsace, vineyards lie at 200 to 400 metres at the foot of the mountains.
TOPOGRAPHY · gentle
Vosges foothills in the Bas-Rhin between Marlenheim and Barr. At Andlau the Wiebelsberg rises steeply from about 230 to 300 metres; other wine villages are Molsheim, Obernai, Goxwiller and Mittelbergheim.
WHAT IT MEANS IN THE GLASS
Similar terroirs worldwide
Computed from fingerprint similarity
Hattenheim/Eltville
Rheingau
96% similar
- Dryness (slightly): Nord (Marlenheim–Barr) is drier → more concentrated, denser, smaller berries (6 vs. 5).
Bourgogne · Côte Chalonnaise
Burgundy
96% similar
- Dryness (slightly): Nord (Marlenheim–Barr) is drier → more concentrated, denser, smaller berries (6 vs. 5).
Wineries on this terroir
See all 34 →This terroir's soils in the glossary