Sparkling Wine of the Extra Class: Griesel Blanc de Noirs Tradition Brut 2021
The Griesel Blanc de Noirs Tradition Brut 2021 is a classic sparkling wine made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. This Blanc de Noirs sparkling wine, meaning a white sparkling wine pressed from red grape varieties, boasts aromas of ripe red apple and pear chutney, with hints of rosemary and juniper, rounded off by notes of warm lye pastries with smoked bacon. On the palate, it offers a powerful effervescence, filling the mouth with spicy, long-lasting flavors. The Blanc de Noirs is multifaceted, complex, with good traction, very juicy, leaving a vibrant tension and refreshing sensation until the very end.
Sekthaus Griesel – How the Blanc de Noirs Brut is Made
The grapes for this Griesel Blanc de Noirs 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 the cool winds from the nearby Odenwald, ensures a good acid structure and minerality in the base wines.
The Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes were 100% hand-picked in September 2021 and then very gently pressed. Just like in Champagne, Niko Brandner understands the importance of gentle pressing, because the fewer tannins and wax from the berry skin get into the must, the finer and more long-lasting the effervescence in the sparkling wine will be later. Only about 50% of the juice present in the berries is pressed. Niko Brandner can draw on 5% reserve wines, which make the Blanc de Noirs appear even more complex.
In the cellar, Niko Brandner gives things time, allowing the grapes to ferment spontaneously and undergo malolactic fermentation, where the malic acid in the wine is converted into milder lactic acid, which gives the wine a special mouthfeel and creaminess. Cellar master Brandner combines large and small stainless steel (84%) and wooden (16% barrique) barrels for aging, which gives the sparkling wine more complexity.
One year later, on July 27, 2022, the Blanc de Noirs is bottled without filtration or fining and tirage is added to induce the second fermentation in the bottle. The dosage was 2g/l. It then rests and matures for another 20 months on the fine lees in the cellar built in 1904. It is regularly riddled and the bottles are increasingly inverted until, at the end, during disgorgement, the yeast plug is removed from the bottle and the Griesel Sekt Blanc de Noirs finally goes on sale in mid-March 2024.
Tradition – Time and Enjoyment
A Griesel sparkling wine of the "Tradition" classification is produced using traditional bottle fermentation. After bottling the base wine, it matures on the yeast for at least 20 months and undergoes the second fermentation, the conversion of wine to sparkling wine. The long yeast contact ensures a fine effervescence and notes of brioche, of fine yeast dough, in the Griesel Sekt Tradition.
- 12% vol. Alcohol
- 7.0g/l Acidity
- 2.0g/l Residual sugar