‘Nectar des Dieux Blanc 2022’
Mas del Périé Fabien Jouves: France (Importer: Moestue). Grapes: A fair split between Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Colombard, Marsanne, Roussanne, and Gros Manseng. 12.0% ABV. Eye: Golden. Nose: Smell of skin, perhaps some grass, spring. Tongue: Full-bodied, staying. Ripe, but never too much; just pleasantly well-balanced with depth, elegantly edging acid and dryness. It’s both fresh and juicy fruit (slightly citric), flowery, spicy. Good to know: Ecologic. The Marsanne and Roussanne are macerated for about 1 month, the rest pressed immediately. Then, all together fermented and matured in concrete for 6 months. This yard is never boring. Besides, this one comes as a 1L; cannot (and shouldn't) be overlooked. Persona: Mature, and patient.
‘Heinrich Muskat Freyheit 2021’
Gernot & Heike Heinrich: Burgenland, Austria (Importer: Moestue/Ferment). Grapes: 86% Muscat Ottonel; 14% Weissburgunder. 12.5% ABV. Eye: Cloudy, warm straw yellow (shake before serving!) Nose: Tropical (peach, sharon, jasmine, sweet citric chutney), sweet, some even says herbs (coriander, fennel, wheat grass). Tongue: Quite full-bodied, creamy, yet elegantly balanced with just the perfect amount of fruit and bitterness; slightly salty and dry as well. Loads of minerals. Just enough to capture your desire. Good to know: Biodynamic, spontaneously fermented (all natural!) and stored on amphoras with the skins for about two weeks before juiced, then 9 months in its own yeast. Made from soils with high levels of limestone and glittering slate as well as sandy gravel. Family made demeter wine (Biodynamic Federation Demeter International). Persona: A bit like that seemingly opaque bottle (light beige clay, to be precise): This is a bold one with the witty jokes, though serious bottom line. Might appear mystic, after conversing for a while even interesting, intriguing, rather hot … Weinskandal.at called it “class with a twist, funky, freaky” — we believe that is quite right. Healthy for you? Perhaps not, but decent amounts work a spice in life.
‘Meinklang TAG 2019’
Meinklang: Burgenland, Austria (Importer: Non Dos). Grapes: Grüner Veltliner — only. 10.5% ABV. Eye: Light warm yellow, cloudy. Nose: Fruity, slightly acidic, some herbs and spices. Tongue: More full-bodied and softer than expected from the nose as well as the grape. Is it some mango here? Some say cooked apple, vanilla cream, pear, meadow flowers …! Wow. Also some dryness and salt towards the end, as do many Burgenland wines. Long aftertaste. Good to know: This is not a regular Meinklang, but their slightly more complex and adventurous ones. Grown on soils of clay and sandstone, hand-harvested. Around 1.5 weeks of skin contact, then gently juiced and matured for 9 months in concrete eggs, spontaneously fermented. Unfiltered. All biodynamic and part of Meinklang’s day-series. Persona: Open, livid, social, not too complicated, just pure pleasure and a happily ever after, one that stays. A true happy ending.
