Deiss himself describes it as an "iron fist" wrapped in a velvet glove to describe this combination of tannic power of Gruenspiel's lands and dense fruit, all culminating in a huge long finish. A wine that insistently demands food. Dry, tannic, firm yet dense at the same time with great extract. The wine evolves in a surprising way as it ages, with the...
In a surprising paradox, Altenberg is visibly soft on the palate, but at the same time perfectly dry on the finish. Nature, this particular vineyard, has "painted" it to be so. A natural combination of power and grace, softness and dryness. The result is this particular grand cru, and the Deisses have no reason to intervene to push, for example, because...
Organic and biodynamic vineyards at the end of the village with the classic non-intrusive Deiss winemaking that allows the terroir to express itself freely in their wines. Whole bunch pressing, spontaneous fermentation and maturation with lees for 12 months in foudres. The soils are rich in silica with the vineyard substrate being clay-calcareous. A dry...
A field blend vineyard with Riesling varieties, the different Pinots of Alsace and some Muscat and Chasselas. Organic and biodynamic farming as in all 26 hectares of Deiss vineyards with an also old-school approach to winemaking, a reference to Alsace's past. Pressing of blended grapes with whole bunches, spontaneous fermentation and maturation for 12...
Like a hand with a glove, the unmistakable duo of Campania's varieties works its magic in the Nemea region, giving an unexpectedly excellent version of sparkling wine using the traditional method. The grapes are harvested early, by hand, having retained their acidity levels while having had time to develop their aromas. 24 months of ageing on fine lees...
Etna Bianco was first put into production in 2005 and Carricante is the dominant variety in the blend with a percentage of 70% depending on the year. Carricante is a grape defined by the minerality and saltiness of the terroir. A feast of other field-blends such as Catarratto, Grecanico and Inzolia make up the rest of the wine. Etna's whites are still...
There are only two vineyards in the northern part of Mount Etna that come from the famous Ellittico terroir with the oldest soils in the area dating back 15000 to 60,000 years. You see the continuous eruptions of the volcano have over the millennia covered the earlier soils with new layers of lava and rock. So next to the cru Calderara Sottana, San...
Intense toasted and dry-fleshed aromas from the barrel, with smoky notes around a core of ripe almost exotic fruit. Tensions are piercing, with the bouquet developing beautifully in the glass. The palate has the natural harmony of all the Champalou family wines. The volume and richness of the wine are balanced thanks to its spectacular - razor-like -...
It's not just this historic piece of land across the river from Savennieres, a stunning - yet unexplored - terroir for dry wines, that Vanessa uses as the basis for some of the most delicious wines of the extremely fashionable Loire variety. She continues to nurture this great 50+ year old vineyard that sits on shale and sandstone soils with biodynamic...
Manual harvesting with multiple passes through the vineyard to collect the botrytised grapes and then slow fermentation with the native yeasts. The wine is matured for at least a year in oak barrels. Its sweetness is measured and is superbly balanced by the high acidity of the wine. So despite the concentration and sweetness, this balance of acidity adds...
