The vignerons of domaines Rolly and Gassmann have been diligently tending the vines of Rorschwihr and Rodern since the seventeenth century; the Rolly family since 1676 and the Gassmann family since 1611. With the marriage of Marie-Thérèse Rolly and Louis Gassmann in 1967 the two estates were united and today the 45ha are run by their second son, Pierre, a quietly self-assured man with an evidently boundless passion for his profession.
The Gassmanns are a family of epicureans. It is hardly surprising then that 10% of their wines are sold annually to some of the greatest Michelin-starred restaurants of France. And herein lies a contradiction. Why are the wines rated so highly by many of the most prestigious Gallic chefs and yet they rarely win wine tastings? Why is the criticism “too much residual sugar” often levelled at their wines when they consistently have more acidity than most other Alsatian producers? The answer is simple. The Gassmanns make food-friendly wines which, for the most part, should not be drunk before 5 or 10 years. With age the acidity comes through to create the most perfectly balanced wines which sing with food.