Trimbach Family Marks Four Centuries of Winemaking Excellence in Alsace

The Trimbach family has been making wine in Alsace for nearly four centuries, establishing itself as one of the region’s most respected producers. The estate, based in Ribeauvillé, is known for its commitment to quality and tradition, as well as its ability to adapt to changing times. Today, Trimbach is recognized worldwide for its Rieslings, particularly the iconic Frédéric-Émile and the legendary Clos Sainte Hune.

Trimbach’s story began in 1626 when Jean Trimbach started growing vines in Riquewihr. Over thirteen generations, the family has maintained a strong presence in Alsace. In the 19th century, Jean-Frédéric and Frédéric-Émile Trimbach played key roles in shaping the estate’s reputation, with Frédéric-Émile lending his name to one of its most famous wines. After World War I, the family moved to Ribeauvillé in 1920, settling at the northern edge of town near the Grand Cru Geisberg vineyard. The estate’s buildings, including a distinctive timbered turret, house offices, technical facilities, and extensive cellars.

In the 1950s, Bernard Trimbach took over management of the estate, joined by his brother Hubert who traveled extensively to promote Alsace wines abroad. Bernard’s sons Pierre and Jean were trained from a young age and assumed leadership in the early 1980s. Today, their children—Anne and Frédérique (Pierre’s daughters), along with Julien and Pauline (Jean’s children)—are actively involved in various aspects of the business, from export and communications to vineyard management and sales.

The family owns more than two-thirds of its vineyards in Ribeauvillé, Bergheim, and Hunawihr. This area is known among geologists as the “Ribeauvillé fault zone,” a patchwork of soils created by intersecting faults that expose layers of limestone, marl, sandstone, granite, and gneiss. These diverse soils allow different grape varieties to thrive. The average vine age is about 45 years, with Riesling accounting for half of plantings. Vines are densely planted—5,500 to 6,000 per hectare—and mostly come from massal selections.

Trimbach practices careful vineyard management. Soils are worked as needed using tractors or horses depending on the terrain. Manual debudding and herbal teas are used to maintain vine health. Since 2008, organic farming has been introduced across all estate vineyards and those of their thirty-five partner growers. Starting with the 2023 vintage, all wines are certified organic—a significant achievement given that Trimbach manages 63 hectares spread over more than 200 parcels. Each year about a hundred trees are planted on the property and sheep graze among the vines during winter.

Harvesting is done entirely by hand with moderate yields. For Riesling wines—which are made dry—botrytis (noble rot) is generally avoided except in rare years when conditions allow for late harvest or selection de grains nobles wines. The Clos Sainte Hune vineyard has only produced late harvest wines twice: in 1983 and 1989.

Clos Sainte Hune is considered one of the world’s greatest Rieslings. In 2024 it celebrated its hundredth vintage. The wine comes from a single 1.67-hectare plot on a south-facing slope protected from winds. Annual production is around 7,000 bottles. The wine is known for its concentration and tension; some vintages have shown remarkable longevity—tasting fresh even after several decades.

Pierre Trimbach has overseen winemaking since his first vintage in 1979 after studying viticulture and enology in Beaune. He emphasizes balance above all else—a philosophy that guides every decision from vineyard to cellar. Grapes are carefully sorted at harvest before being pressed pneumatically; juice flows by gravity into the cellar where each parcel is vinified separately in temperature-controlled tanks. Most white wines do not undergo malolactic fermentation; instead, they are aged on lees for at least four months in old foudres or stainless steel tanks depending on style.

Clos Sainte Hune is unique among Trimbach’s top wines because it is aged exclusively in stainless steel for six to eight months before bottling. Bottling takes place between spring and September following harvest after filtration but without cold stabilization. Wines then mature for up to five or six years in underground cellars before release.

In recent years Trimbach’s wines have become purer and more expressive thanks to lower sulfur use and improved grape ripeness due to climate change and organic practices. The wines are now more approachable when young but still retain their ability to age.

Trimbach produces a wide range of wines beyond its flagship cuvées. About half of production comes from purchased grapes used for classic range bottlings—Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer—sealed with screw caps for early drinking. Reserve selections come from specific parcels around Ribeauvillé and Hunawihr; these include Riesling, Pinot Gris, Muscat, Gewurztraminer as well as Sylvaner Weinbaum and Pinot Noir (in both Reserve and Cuve 7 versions). The Frédéric-Émile Riesling—first made in 1967—is sourced from Grand Cru Geisberg and Osterberg vineyards and can age for more than twenty years.

For many years Trimbach did not label its top wines as Grand Cru even though they came from classified sites; this was common among leading Alsace producers who prioritized brand reputation over appellation status. However, over the past decade new single-vineyard bottlings have been introduced as regulations for Grand Cru wines have become stricter (lower yields, no chaptalization) and recognition has grown.

The Geisberg Riesling debuted with the 2009 vintage after Trimbach took over vines previously managed by a local convent; Schlossberg followed with a new parcel isolated starting in 2014; Mandelberg (2016) and Brand (2018) have since joined the lineup along with Pinot Gris Osterberg (since 2020) and Gewurztraminer Muhlforst. Late harvest wines remain rare but always reflect Trimbach’s signature style: precise rather than opulent.

Today Trimbach stands as a benchmark for Alsace wine—rooted in history but open to innovation—with each generation contributing to its ongoing legacy through careful stewardship of land and tradition.