Alsace, France

Yannick Meckert

La Colline aux Schistes 2020

£45

YANNICK MECKERT
La Colline aux Schistes 2020
Alsace, France

Riesling from thirty year old vines planted over blue shale, pressed directly and aged for two years sous voile in old Alsatian foudre. A brilliant shade of gold in the glass, this is a wine of almost kaleidoscopic complexity, pairing hazy minerals, smoke, citrus and spice to dizzying effect. A Riesling of rare verve and real drive, this is thrillingly unique.

Riesling


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.