Raise a toast with the Griesel Riesling Sekt Tradition Brut 2021

The Griesel Riesling Sekt Tradition Brut 2021 is a suitable introduction to the delightful world of Sekthaus Griesel. The Riesling Sekt has aromas of green apple and ripe quince, with notes of candied kumquats and fragrant jasmine, rounded off by hints of fine brioche. On the palate, the impressively fine perlage is immediately present, creating a wonderfully soft mouthfeel. It lingers, carrying the acidity and the slightly tart, spicy notes from the oak aging, until an invigorating freshness remains at the finish.

Griesel – how the Riesling Brut is made

The grapes for this Griesel Riesling Sekt grow on soils in the Hessian Bergstrasse region, which are characterized by a high granite content, forcing the vines to root deeply into the earth. This, and the cool winds from the nearby Odenwald forest, ensure a good acid structure and minerality in the base wines.

The Riesling grapes were hand-picked in September 2021 and then pressed very gently. As in Champagne, Niko Brandner also understands the importance of gentle pressing, because the fewer tannins and wax from the berry skins that enter the must, the finer and more persistent the perlage in the Sekt can become later. Only about 50% of the juice present in the berries is pressed.

In the cellar, Niko Brandner gives things time; the grapes are allowed to ferment spontaneously and undergo malolactic fermentation, in which the 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 and wooden barrels for aging, as well as 10% Reserve Perpétuelle (base wine from previous vintages), which gives the Sekt more complexity.

A year later, on December 22, 2022, the Riesling is bottled without filtration or fining and tirage is added to induce 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. It is regularly riddles, and the bottles are increasingly inverted until, at the good end during disgorgement, the yeast plug is removed from the bottle and the Griesel Riesling Sekt finally goes on sale in mid-March 2024.

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 conversion of wine into Sekt. The long yeast contact ensures a fine perlage and notes of brioche, of fine yeast dough, in the Griesel Sekt Tradition.

• 12% vol. alcohol
• 7.4g/l acidity
• 3.0g/l residual sugar