From: Alsace, France
Varietal: Pinot Gris
Tasting Notes: "Rich notes of baked pear on the nose of this wine are made even lusher by hints of marzipan and honey. The pear-fruited palate presents similar ripeness, but keeps its balance with the rounded generosity of spice, leading to an off-dry, but still fresh and creamy umami finish." –Anne Krebiehl MW, Wine Enthusiast, 92 points (October 2020)
Pairing: This Alsacian Pinot Gris pairs well with vegetables, roasted and stewed white meats, liver, and the region's famous mountain cheeses (think Comté and Gruyère).
No one will argue that Deiss is among the top two or three domaines of Alsace. As to the rest, Jean-Michel Deiss is what the French call, a fouteur de merde, a shit-stirrer. After an old man on his deathbed entrusted him with one of Alsace's gems, the Schoenenbourg vineyard, Jean-Michel found that it was planted to an old field blend or “co-plantation.” He soon realized that this was the missing link in his quest for great wine, and he replanted every single one of his top vineyards to such blends. Though this had once been the norm in Alsace, by the time Jean-Michel planted his grand crus to field blends, it was a technique reserved for lowly wines. Then, he took on the Alsatian cru system. Too many grand crus, and too large at that, but no premier crus was idiotic, he thought, and he self-appointed seven of his top vineyards “premier crus.” When you taste them, it makes crystalline sense, but this is technically an illegal practice and Jean-Michel has been battling the authorities ever since. His latest crusade is to have ancient but currently illegal Alsatian varieties added to the list of authorized grapes. A troublemaker indeed, but the wines are absolutely magical.
This particular blend comes from multiple terroirs in Bergheim and neighboring communes. The grapes were pressed whole-cluster and fermented using indigenous yeasts before being aged for 12 months on fine lees.
Certified Organic and Biodynamic
