YANNICK MECKERT
Charlotte aux Vignes 2023
Alsace, France
Gewürztraminer from vines up to fifty years old planted over clay and limestone in Obernai. The grapes were fermented as whole bunches for a week, before being pressed to a hundred year old cask for elévage. A gorgeous, hazy shade of pink in the glass, aromatically this is as delicate and nuanced an expression of the variety as you will find. Taut and streamlined, the palate follows suit, with delicate flavours of rose, zest and spice combining to brilliant effect.
Gewürztraminer
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.