JP Rietsch "Tout Blanc" Alsace, France 2023

FROM CAMILLE RIVIÉRE:

THE PRODUCER: Our family has been established in Mittelbergheim since the 17th century, and since that time has been practicing trades linked to the vine, from cooperage to viticulture.

In the early 1970s, Pierre and Doris Rietsch created the estate that bears their name by transforming their mixed farming operation into a purely wine-growing business.

The estate is now managed by Jean-Pierre Rietsch and his wife Sophie, assisted by Pierre-Etienne Grieshaber. The estate works in partnership with La Main Verte, an adapted company whose teams participate in manual work in the vineyards, from pruning to trellising. Although retired from the farm, Pierre Rietsch remains present throughout the year and continues to contribute to the various tasks. Our wines are made from grapes grown without chemicals. During the harvest, which is entirely manual, the grapes are sorted on the plot and then pressed whole to avoid the effects of crushing.

All our work on grapes and juices is carried out gently: the juices are extracted from the bunches in a pneumatic press at low pressure, over a fairly long period, from 5 to 12 hours, so that the press already acts as a filter, which will limit the extraction of lees.

This set of precautions aims to not strip the juices of their substance. The musts are then aged in slow and natural fermentation, over a period of 5 to 24 months depending on the case, from their indigenous yeasts which feed on the material preserved in the juices.

No added sugar, no acidity correction, no fining: our interventions during aging are limited to the strict minimum, so as not to disturb the character of the wine and to allow it to best express its characteristics, grape variety and terroir.

At the end of the fermentation process, some wines are stabilized by filtration and the addition, if necessary, of very small doses of sulfur in order to treat possible bacterial problems.

THE WINE: This vintage combines juices of Auxerrois (40%), Pinot Gris (25%), Riesling (25%) and Sylvaner (10%). The nose evokes yellow fruits, with menthol and lemony nuances. The palate is saline, lively, salivating, with a beautiful persistence. Natural fermentation using indigenous yeasts. Malo done. Light sulfiting during fermentation and at bottling. Aged on lees for 8 months in vats. Clarifying filtration on cellulose plates.