A compact, elegant and deeply savoury macerated Pinot Gris with moreish notes of red cherry and blood orange taking centre stage before a long, salty finish. Gleaming ruby in the glass, this category defying wine falls somewhere in-between the orange and rosé wine world thanks maceration on the grapes pinkish-grey skins. Deep umami notes paired with blood orange bitters - this is as good as it gets for Pinot Gris.
The grapes come from 50-year-old vines planted over clay in Obernai. After hand picking, the grapes macerated as whole bunches for a week, before being pressed to a combination of old barriques, demi-muids and sandstone amphorae for nine months. Coming from the 2023 vintage, a classic growing season where Yannick was able to harvest ripe, beautiful grapes. The resulting wines show depth and complexity and whilst tasting great in their youth, are likely to evolve beautifully over time. Drink now or lay down if you have the patience.
Yannick Meckert has been around wine since a young age. Born to a Burgundian mother and Alsatian father, he grew up between the two winemaking regions. Having studied viticulture and oenology in Beaune and Montpellier, and after a brief stint working for the family domaine, Yannick became disenchanted with the conventional methods of farming his family were using. He set off on his own path to discover a different kind of wine. Yannick has worked and trained with alongside some real talents; Patrick Meyer, Phillipe Pacalet, Le Coste, Christian Binner, Claus Preisinger as well as spending time learning the art of sake in Japan alongside Terada Honke. Building up quite the résumé!
Yannick is now working his own plots in and around the village or Obernai in Alsace. He farms three and half hectares of classic Alsatian varieties planted over clay and limestone, as well as sourcing organic grapes from friends. The focus here is on retaining a diverse ecosystem by practicing his own take on organic agriculture, eschewing not only chemicals, but also copper and sulphur, instead using clay, infusions and essential oils to help the vines. He prefers to let the wild herbs, grass and flowers around the vines grow, resulting in vineyards full of life. In the cellar, he draws upon his experience and intuition and adjusts his methods to suit the specific grape variety and given vintage.
This is still the beginning for Yannick, with his first vintage being released in 2020. It’s exciting to see what lies ahead for this talented grower.
