More sadness at Domaine Weinbach

[David M. Bueker]

Collette Faller has passed away.
http://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/ ... tte-faller

When my wife and I visited in 2003, she was wonderful, eventhough some wires had gotten crossed with our confirmed appointment. She patiently listened to my limited French, and did a great job of answering my questions. The visit could have been a train wreck, but she handled it with grace.

Sad news, indeed. I wonder how far chagrin at Laurence's premature demise hastened her end.

I visited the estate in 1999 and remember well Colette's warm and bubbly yet authoritative personality. Catherine wasn't there but Colette and Laurence kept bobbing in and out taking turns to look after us. It is indeed hard to come to terms with the fact that both have gone.

Unfortunately the vintage on sale was 1997. I ignored Colette's advice to drink them up quickly and found myself with a lot of wines flabbier than I like. I have one bottle left, I think, a GC Furstenstum Gewurz VT, which was one of the better ones when last opened.

We tried to visit Weinbach when in Alsace some years ago. With no reservation we were turned away. I remember the grounds as you drive in being particularly beautiful and thought it was Colette herself who turned us away. Seeing her picture now I'm sure of it.

Colette was usually the one you saw first at Weinbach, elegantly decked out in Chanel usually. A gracious woman, albeit in the more formal and dignified French style of the older generation.

Her daughters, on the other hand, were more in to jeans and tight sweaters.