Griesel Sekt – Chardonnay Prestige Brut Nature

The Griesel Sekt Chardonnay Prestige Brut Nature 2019 is a limited vintage sparkling wine with no dosage. Only 2,334 bottles were filled. This Chardonnay Blanc de Blanc Sekt, meaning a white sparkling wine pressed from white grape varieties, offers aromas of juicy pear and apple compote, with almond kernel and almond blossom, rounded off by notes of fresh brioche. On the palate, the impressively fine perlage is present, creating a pleasantly soft mouthfeel. It persists, carrying the acidity and the slightly bitter matcha and herbal notes, until finally, an invigorating freshness and a chalky minerality remain.

Sekthaus Griesel – how the Chardonnay Prestige is made

The grapes for this Griesel Chardonnay Prestige Sekt grow on soils in the Hessische Bergstraße region, which are 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 2019 and then pressed very gently. 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 longer-lasting the perlage in the sparkling wine can become. Only about 50% of the juice present in the berries is pressed off.

In the cellar, Niko Brandner and winemaker Rachele Crosara (affectionately known as Rakete) give things time, allowing the grapes to undergo spontaneous fermentation and malolactic fermentation, where malic acid in the wine is converted into the milder lactic acid, which gives the wine a special mouthfeel and creaminess. Cellar master Brandner combines large and small stainless steel (76%) and wood (24% barrique) barrels for aging, which gives the sparkling wine more complexity.

One year later, in August 2020, the Chardonnay is bottled without filtration or fining and tirage is added to induce the second fermentation in the bottle. It then rests and matures for another 34 months on its fine lees in the cellar built in 1904, being regularly riddled and the bottles gradually turned upside down, until at the very end, during disgorgement (June 2023), the yeast plug is removed from the bottle and the Griesel Sekt Chardonnay Prestige is released for sale without any dosage or added sulfur. 7.2g/l acidity

Sparkling wine with time and enjoyment

A Griesel Sekt of the Prestige classification is produced using traditional bottle fermentation. After the base wine is bottled, it matures for at least 34 months on the lees and undergoes the second fermentation, the transformation from wine to sparkling wine. The long contact with the yeast ensures a fine perlage and notes of brioche, of fine yeast dough, in the Griesel Sekt Prestige sparkling wine.