Domaine Weinbach, Cuvée Théo Riesling, Alsace, 2018

Grown entirely in the walled Clos des Capucins in front of the Faller family’s manor house, this proves (as do Olivier Humbrecht’s Herrenweg wines) that it isn’t just the hillside sites that make great wines in Alsace. There is fresh doughiness and an alluring suggestion of spice on the nose, while the palate is multi-layered and textured, vivid with honeysuckle and lemon verbena scents. You might find a little wild strawberry among the orchard fruits, too. Yes, Riesling is soulful and pure-spirited by its nature, but this wine shows how in the magical soils and sites of Alsace it can express a garden-like charm, too.