Two star Alsace producers visited this morning. One famous (deservedly so), the other less high profile but making some of the region’s best wines.

First up, Domaine Zind Humbrecht in Turckheim. It’s a relatively large, modern, yet unassuming winery in the middle of the flat Herrenweg vineyard on the outskirts of Turckheim. We met with Olivier Humbrecht and tasted through 27 remarkable wines, most from the 2010 vintage.

Olivier is on top form. This is a really exciting place to visit: I was thrilled by several of the wines, and there wasn’t a single one I wouldn’t be delighted to drink.

Then a short drive took us to the village of Niedermorschwihr, 2.5 km from Turckheim, to visit Jean Boxler at Albert Boxler. The domaine has 13.5 hectares of vines, many in the grand crus of Brand and Sommerberg, and has been in the family since 1673.

The wines are beautifully pure. I love the labels, too, which were designed by a painter friend of the family in 1946 when Albert Boxler first started bottling wines from the family’s vine holdings. Just 14 wines here, all of which were lovely, before a quick trip to see the Sommerberg vineyard, sloping down steeply to the village.