Alsace, France

Yannick Meckert

Ceci n’est Pas un Vin de France 2022

£30

YANNICK MECKERT
Ceci n’est Pas un Vin de France 2022
Alsace, France

Chardonnay from a parcel of fifty year old vines planted over granite in Turckheim. The grapes were mostly pressed directly, with just a touch being macerated, and after pressing the wine was aged for a year in old Alsatian foudres. Pale straw yellow in the glass, this hums with ripe stone fruits and gentle scents of salt, nuts, yeast and spice, whilst the palate displays a pleasant density and a long, salty finish. Great now, this should evolve beautifully over the coming years.

Chardonnay


ABOUT THE PRODUCER

With an impeccable résumé and invaluable experience garnered around the world, Yannick Meckert has quickly announced himself as one of the best young vignerons in Alsace.

Born to a Burgundian mother and Alsatian father, Yannick was introduced to wine at a young age. However, it was to be no fairytale beginning and having grown disenchanted with the methods of farming his family were practising, he set off to discover a different kind of wine.

Along the way he was lucky enough to work alongside the likes of Patrick Meyer, Phillipe Pacalet and Clementine and Gianmarco of Le Coste, as well as spending time learning the art of sake in Japan alongside the brilliant Terada Honke. Whilst their diverse influences are writ large across his work, Yannick is very much forging his own path.

He farms three and half hectares of classic Alsatian varieties planted over clay and limestone in and around the village of Obernai, as well as sourcing organic grapes from friends in Alsace. In his own vineyards, the focus is on retaining as diverse an ecosystem as possible. He practises his own take on organic agriculture, eschewing not only chemicals, but also copper and sulphur, instead using clay, infusions and essential oils to help the vines. He prefers to let the wild herbs, grass and flowers around the vines grow, resulting in vineyards that teem with life.

In the cellar he exercises a deft hand that is a credit to his experience and intuition, adjusting methods of vinification to suit the nuances of each variety in any given vintage.

We can’t wait to see what the future holds for this most talented of growers.