Dear All,
Sitting in the heart of the night, still so far from dawn, under the circle of light from my beloved lamp, waiting unhurriedly for morning and ready for the exhilaration of obscure but liberating manual labor, I reread my past wishes for you all. And I must admit that in recent years, the circle of light from my lamp has seemed increasingly isolated, a pale glow in an ocean of worries and threats. I felt pain for the world, and some criticized me for it, rightly judging that “wishes should be optimistic”! Yet how can we ignore the uncertainty of the times, the fragility of our democracies, the unsustainable imbalance of wealth, the psychiatric megalomania of fascist leaders? And the constant call for murder that runs through all the conferences in the name of new deified idols, audience and money. The ongoing attack on the soil that feeds us, the sky that fills us, the sea that waters us! Where are we going on this fragile blue skiff, which the most demiurgic dream of scuttling for the technological eternity of Mars? Yes, the circle of my lamp struggled to reach you, a fragile vehicle of tenuous hope, of uncertain wishes, of childish and derisory prayers struggling to be fulfilled. And then, 2025 arrived and we symbolically hit rock bottom: now major upheavals lie ahead of us... Yet we must react, refuse to accept the chain of disasters that has been predicted, climb back onto the deck of the pilotless ship and find the port. With what tools? For 2026, I propose three, forged by experience and crafted with kindness: the Stoic quest, a kind of individualized summary of all moral philosophies; the search for dignity in all things, since ultimately only what cannot be bought has any value; and silence and flight from the few truly toxic individuals for whom no one can do anything.
These are my wishes for each of you in 2026. Serve beauty whatever the cost and dream of an economy of kindness rather than the miasma of the Trumpian deal. Accept that human beings are imperfect, unfulfilled, and divided; only true love can fill and repair them, and this requires pure intention and the rejection of convenient lies in all things. To realize that ultimately, in our imperfect world, only sovereign Nature keeps its commitments and embodies balanced exchange, faithful treaties, and peace without losers. The perfect fruit! It is these few principles that we have implemented at the estate over the past few months, which have enabled us, thanks to all of you and a magnificent team of patient dedication, to make solid progress: a very fine 2025 harvest, a healthy economy, the devoted service of our new plot on the Rangen de Thann, with the rather magical arrival of a cask of this wine right between the Altenberg and the Schoenenbourg; the addition of a magnificent new plot of Schlossberg and the patient implementation of its planting: clearing of the wasteland, restoration of the low walls, soil care, production in 2026 of cuttings from vines planted in 2027; Finally, the amazed reaction in the cellar at the sight of the first bottles of Marckrain, this “Limite du Royaume” (border of the Kingdom) which impresses so much with the complexity of its tannic voluptuousness for a 10-year-old vine. We still have lots of wonderful projects in the pipeline that will gradually fill our days, setting an example around us of the renaissance of an Alsatian wine-growing culture based on terroirs, Fieldblends, and the excellence of virtuous practices.
May these few words written at night find you in 2026, standing on the deck, gripping your oar, determined to be an example yourself, a “full” bottle which, although technically empty and without a cork, its label yellowed and dusty, continues, stubbornly and quietly in a corner, to send out the aromas of memory, powerful flavors, a dizzying salivation, and the obvious presence of those who have already left us, whom we have met and loved. Refuse to be bottles that are technically full and perfectly up to industry standards, yet empty, without any obvious intention or dignity: in front of them, crowds of sentimental people, thirsty for ideals, now pass by indifferently... Here is 2026 before us. It will be what we make of it, and I wish you the calm of winter mornings, the deep blue of hot evenings, days full of effort, joyful returns home, touching encounters, and many “full” bottles. Then we will be at peace, amazed by the world, thirsty to repair what can be repaired. And, at the same time, ordinary sinners, helpless in the face of the attempt at holiness!
Yours sincerely,
Jean-Michel Deiss