Discover Soil Therapy: Leading a New Wave in Alsatian Wines
Thomas Larmoyer founded Soil Therapy because he is on a mission to shake up how we see Alsatian wine. A self taught wine maker, Thomas learned his craft organically by talking, listening and tasting with Alsatian winemakers. It helps that he also worked as a sales manager for renown winery Ostertag before becoming a full-time winemaker. He named his label Soil Therapy because he believes that biodynamic therapy is good for the soil/grapes and that wine is therapy for the soul.
Instead of following the usual rules, he crafts single-vineyard Alsace wines under the lesser-used lieux-dits label. His approach is all about instinct, blending top-quality organic and biodynamic grapes right in the vineyard and letting the wines evolve slowly—basically the opposite of the standard Alsace AOC playbook.
I had the pleasure to attend a small masterclass at Morchella in Islington. Thomas was there to lead us through the tasting. One of Thomas’ favourite grapes is Sylvaner. He feels it’s a straightforward, honest wine. It’s his go-to wine for any occasion, he doesn’t feel it should be challenging but a great wine to pair with food and a great terroir interpreter. He says there is no standard for great Sylvaner so he’s free to set it himself. He believes it has aging potential when planted in great vineyards and with the right terroir.
Our introduction to Sylvaner, a blend, 2023 VDF “Le Geste” 40% Sylvaner, 40% Pinot Blanc, 10% Auxerrois, 10% Pinoto Gris A wine built around the Sylvaner with the other varieties giving complexity to the blend. 9 months ageing in 25% oak, 75% steel. Aromas of ripe green apple, floral and lifted. On the palate, medium acidity, textured with a long finish. A fantastic introduction to the complexity one can achieve with Sylvaner.
Next, the 2023 AOC Alsace, Sylvaner Reserve. 100% Sylvaner This was a delight to drink. Aged 9 months, 50/50 steel and oak, from a vineyard on clay and limestone. It had green apple flavours and slight vegetal hints, medium acidity with a slightly oily texture and a long green fruit finish. Very easy to drink, it was a Sylvaner like none other I’ve had in the past.
The 2021 AOC Alsace Materia Rebellis is 60% pinot grist and 40% Sylvaner. This wine spends 1.5 years in barrel and was blend of 2 single vineyards. Thomas didn’t use any sulfur but it’s not a matter of principle. He will use sulfur if needed. The wine had loads of concentration, 2021 was a year that gave lots of ripeness, producing a wine with lots of texture, perfumed with spices and pink grapefruit notes. It had super long, lingering minerality. An integrated wine being fresh but not overbearing.
The lieux dits are vineyards that Thomas has spent considerable time finding. The most surprising for me was the 2021 AOC Alsace lieu-dit “Dorfschatz” a dry 100% Gewurztraminer. I don’ t usually drink gewurz but this one was like no other I’ve had before. Cloudy in appearance but with the classic rose and Turkish delight nose with a dash of bruised green apple. It had spent 5 days on the skins to extract texture and aroma. The resulting wine is dry and complex, from limestone soils that gave it a savoury acidity. The gewurz was picked early to avoid that sweeter styles that are common in Alsace. This was my highlight of the tasting.
His production is tiny and ultra-exclusive. Every bottle comes from micro batches, made with top-tier fruit and meticulous care. The result? Unconventional, high-energy Alsace wines with striking minerality, delicate aromatics, and a silky, almost weightless texture. They’re incredibly fresh, long on the palate, and—fair warning—hard to get your hands on.
We also tasted the following:
2021 AOC Alsace lieu-dit “Frohberg” 100% Auxerrois 5 days skin contact, from old vines from northern Alsace with limestone soils and certified bioydynamic. A subtle and nuanced with lots of freshness. It’s rare to find a 100% Auxerrois which is a shame as this was fantastic.
2021 AOC Alsace lieu-dit “Ritttersberg” 60% Pinot blanc, 40% Pinot Gris Made from granitic soils which bring a different minerality to the wine. It’s an intense wine, plenty of spiky minerality with concentration, vertical and elegant in structure, it was aged 1 year in small barrels. In Thomas’ opinion this wine is still young but has lots of potential.
2021 AOC Alsace lieu-dit “Schieferberg” 100% Riesling This was the first vineyard Thomas purchased grapes from when he started. The terroir is high altitude and schist soils which are difficult to find in Alsace. 2 days skin contact, fermented and aged in small barrels for 18 months. I could smell the stony land even before I stuck my nose in the glass. Spicy with hints of passionfruit. Lovely texture with key lime notes, dry and balanced.
Thomas hasn’t forgotten about the red wines of Alsace. He also produces a 100% Pinot Noir, the 2022 AOC Alsace “Pinot Noir S+S. From sandstone, volcanic soils, this is a mountain wine. It has a low abv with apparent tannins on the palate but not aggresive, rather they are elegant in the mouth. Thomas used 30% whole cluster which can be felt but it was also aged for 1 year in used demi-muids. A gorgeous Pinot Noir, subtle and refined, I could sit with this wine all night long.