Blanc de Blancs Tradition Brut – 2021

Blanc de Blancs Tradition Brut from Griesel Sekt made from two light-skinned varieties

Blanc de Blancs Tradition Brut 2021 from Griesel Sekt is a white-pressed sparkling wine made from two white grape varieties: Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc. It is defined by twenty months on the fine lees, a dosage of 2 grams per liter, and three different types of aging vessels.

Blanc de Blancs Tradition Brut 2021 is the white-from-white sparkling wine in the Tradition line from Griesel Sekt, grown on the Hessische Bergstraße. The Chardonnay provides length and tension, while the Pinot Blanc contributes calm and fullness; together, they create a sparkling wine that doesn't need to prove anything.

Pear, almond blossom, and a tart hint of matcha

The bouquet opens with juicy pear and apple compote, accompanied by almond kernel and almond blossom. Fresh brioche lies underneath, revealing how long this sparkling wine has rested on its lees.

The perlage is remarkably fine and creates a pleasantly soft mouthfeel that carries through the entire sip. Beneath it, the pull of the acidity continues, accompanied by slightly tart notes of matcha and green herbs; what remains at the end is freshness and a chalky sensation on the tongue.

Baked turbot pairs well with it, as do glazed kohlrabi or a brandade on toasted bread. Dishes featuring butter and lacking loud seasoning give it the space it needs for its subtle tones.

Every variety in the line has its own role

The Tradition line brings four sparkling wines to the table in the 2021 vintage, and none of them repeats the others. The Riesling stands for acidity and edge, the Blanc de Noirs for smoke and pressure, and the Rosé for red fruit without any sweetness.

The Blanc de Blancs takes on the most delicate and quiet role among them. It has neither color nor intensity to show off and lives solely on its texture, which comes from twenty months of lees aging and maturation in three types of vessels.

The Blanc de Noirs made from red grapes and the Rosé Tradition 2021 belong to the same group of four, and the wider selection of sparkling wines follows. Anyone who opens the four side by side will hear four different voices from a single harvest.

Chalk from steel, large oak casks, and barriques

The grapes were harvested by hand in September 2021. Pressing is stopped early so that about half of the juice is not extracted at all, leaving the coarse components of the skin in the pomace.

The base wines ferment spontaneously and then undergo malolactic fermentation, which gives the cuvée its creaminess. A good two-thirds mature in stainless steel, one-fifth in large "Stückfass" casks, and one-tenth in barriques; eight percent of the cuvée consists of reserve wines from previous years.

The large cask provides air without a woody taste, the barrique adds a trace of roasting, and the steel holds everything together. This chalky minerality, therefore, does not come from a single cellar technique, but from the combination of three types of vessels.

It was bottled for tirage on July 30, 2022, exactly as it had been in the barrel. It then spent twenty months on the fine lees and moved slowly into the neck of the bottle during riddling. It went on sale in March 2024. In this wine, restraint is not a weakness, but the role it has taken on in this line.