For a printable PDF of this weekend’s notes, click here!
Melanie Pfister ‘Mel’ Noble Quatre Cepages Nobles 2019
Origin: Alsace, France
Retail: $33.95 | Sale: $30.56
At the beginning of 2018 Mélanie and her father decided to embark 100% into organic viticulture. Certification takes three years and is expected with vintage 2021. It’s important to understand, however, that this step into organics is a small and logical one. In the early 1980s, Mélanie’s father quit using herbicides and adopted a no-till regimen. He was way out in front of his generation, but to him it was clear that this was a much healthier and natural way to farm grapes. Initially, he treated all the parcels identically, but over time and with Mélanie’s involvement he began adopting methods according to parcels. “The house style appeared itself as the style of wine my parents and grandparents liked to drink: aromatic, well-balanced, rather dry style of wines. As a matter of fact, my grandfather used to say, Finally, I am probably the one who drinks the most of my wines, so I craft the wines I like! – no concession, he liked dry wines.”
The acronym Mel comes from Mélanie, the woman who created this wine. It is a blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer, and Muscat, in that order. Each year the percentages vary according to what variety does best, but the order is preserved. Accordingly, the wine is intended to reflect the best of a given year and to be flagship wine of Alsace. The varieties are picked separately and fermented individually before being blended. Save for the Muscat, all come from the Silberberg terroir.
Riesling 50%, Pinot Gris 30%, Gewurztraminer 15% & Muscat 5%
Szigeti Grüner Veltliner Brut N/V Sekt
Origin: Gols, Austria
Retail: $19.95 | Sale: $17.96
Grüner Veltliner Brut is hand-harvested from contracted growers in Burgenland and Niederösterreich. Fermentation is done with Champagne yeasts in stainless steel tanks preceded by a second fermentation in bottle and twelve months aging en tirage. Grüner Veltliner Brut shows notes of green apple and citrus with the savory spiciness typical of the Grüner Veltliner variety.
100% Grüner Veltliner
Kelley Fox Nerthus Rose 2021
Origin: Willamette, OR
Retail: $32.95 | Sale: $29.66
Kelley Fox Wines is a small winery I created in 2007 along with Gerson "Gus" Stearns. Kelley lived in Willamette Valley for over 32 years, and I find myself loving Oregon more every year. The first vintage (2007) started with just over 100 cases. The annual case production is now around 5000 cases, from vineyards including the historic Maresh Vineyard, Hyland Vineyard, Freedom Hill Vineyard , Weber Vineyard, Durant Vineyard , Dux Vineyard, Carter Vineyard, and Canary Hill Vineyard. The Nerthus has a delightfully bright pink color with hints of salmon and fuschia and brilliant transparency. The nose is full of fresh peach and apricot with floral and mineral notes. Though bone dry, there is mouth-watering peach and apricot fruit that is carried nicely by the racy acidity.
Pinot Gris 50%, Early Muscat 30% & Riesling 30%