Léo Dirringer

Alsace, Dambach-la-Ville, France

Léo Dirringer has taken the helm in Dambach-la-Ville, where his family has made wine for over four generations. After studying in Montpellier and training in Switzerland, he became passionate about organically farmed grapes and terroir importance, reinforced by encounters with Marie-Thérèse Chappaz and a bottle of Ganevat's Chalasses Marnes Bleues. Returning to Alsace in 2007, Léo brought vision for a new kind of Alsace wine. He converted all family vineyards to organic agriculture, using green manure and herbal teas to reduce copper and sulfur while bringing life to the soil. The 14 hectares sit on unique granitic formations with sandy hillside soils and clay plains, planted to classic Alsace varietals. In the winery, Léo shows utmost respect for his grapes with slow, gentle presses and aging in traditional Alsatian foudre. These wines tell the story of generations of Alsatian winemaking — Léo's exciting chapter has just begun.

Winemaking Philosophy

Léo pursues authentic, healthy, accessible wines with zero compromise — pur jus, as he describes it. Convinced by grape quality and terroir respect after training with Marie-Thérèse Chappaz and inspired by Ganevat's sulfur-free purity. Indigenous yeast fermentation, aging in traditional foudres, bottling without additives or filtration. Fresh, digestible, fluid wines proving additive-free winemaking can produce serious, terroir-driven Alsace.

At a Glance

2017

Founded

13 ha

Hectares

Region

Alsace, Dambach-la-Ville, France

Grapes

Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, Auxerrois +2 more

Farming

Certified organic with biodynamic experimentation since 2019.

Harvest

Manual harvest. Long, gentle pressing lasting 7-9 hours without additives.

On the map

Léo Dirringer — Dambach-la-Ville, Alsace

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Available Now (2)

Pur Jus

2024 · Still · White · 12%

50% Sylvaner 30% Auxerrois 20% Riesling

Léo Dirringer is the fourth-generation winemaker at the family Domaine Ruhlmann-Dirringer north of Colmar in Alsace. After studying oenology in Montpellier and Switzerland, where he discovered natural wines, he persuaded his parents in 2017 to convert the 14-hectare estate to organic farming and launched his own range alongside the family's traditional bottlings. Pur Jus is a three-grape blend (50% Sylvaner, 30% Auxerrois, 20% Riesling), all direct-pressed for spontaneous fermentation and aged 13 months in concrete vat. The cellar protocol on every Léo Dirringer bottling is the same: wild-yeast fermentation, unfiltered, no added sulphur. 12% alcohol gives an unpushed, brisk, mineral Alsace white that runs counter to the regional cliché of weight and overt aromatics.

All three varieties direct-pressed. Spontaneous (wild-yeast) fermentation. Élevage 13 months in concrete vat. Unfiltered, no added sulphur. Certified AB organic.