Griesel Sekt – Blanc de Blancs Tradition Brut 2022

The Griesel Sekt Blanc de Blancs Brut Tradition 2022 is a classic sparkling wine made from Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc. This Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine, meaning a white sparkling wine made from white grape varieties, offers aromas of juicy pear and apple compote, complemented by almond kernel and almond blossom, with notes of fresh brioche rounding out the impressions. On the palate, the impressively fine perlage is present, creating a wonderfully soft mouthfeel. It persists, carrying the pull of acidity and subtly tart matcha and herbal notes, until finally, an animating freshness and chalky minerality remain.

Sekthaus Griesel – how the Blanc de Blancs Brut is made

The grapes for this Griesel Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine grow on soils of the Hessische Bergstraße, characterized by a high granite content, forcing the vines to dig deep into the earth. This, combined with cool winds from the nearby Odenwald, ensures a good acid structure and minerality in the base wines.

The Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc grapes were hand-picked in September 2022 and then pressed very gently. As in Champagne, Niko Brandner understands the importance of gentle pressing, because the less tannins and wax that transfer from the berry skin into the must, the finer and more persistent the perlage in the sparkling wine can become. Only about 50% of the juice present in the berries is pressed. Niko Brandner can draw on 8% reserve wines, which make the Blanc de Blancs 2022 appear even more complex.

In the cellar, Niko Brandner gives things time; the grapes are allowed to ferment spontaneously and undergo malolactic fermentation, where the malic acid in the wine converts to the milder lactic acid, which gives the wine a special mouthfeel and creaminess. Cellar master Brandner combines large and small stainless steel (45%) and wooden barrels (20% barrique, 20% Stückfass + 15% Tonneau) for aging, which gives the sparkling wine more complexity.

One year later, on July 21, 2023, the base wine is bottled without filtration or fining and tirage liqueur is added to trigger the second fermentation in the bottle. The dosage was 3g/l. Now, it is allowed to rest and mature for another 20 months on its fine lees in the cellar built in 1904, being regularly riddled and the bottles gradually inverted, until the final disgorgement removes the yeast plug from the bottle and the Griesel Sekt Blanc de Blanc finally goes on sale in March 2025.

Tradition – Time and Enjoyment

A Griesel Sekt of the Tradition classification is produced using traditional bottle fermentation. After bottling the base wine, it matures for at least 20 months on the lees and undergoes the second fermentation, the transformation from wine to sparkling wine. The long yeast contact ensures a fine perlage and notes of brioche, of fine yeast dough, in the Griesel Sekt Tradition.