Domaine Bechtold 'Nef des Folles' Pinot Gris Alsace AOC 2021

At the northern tip of Alsace, in an area nicknamed rather fancifully as the Couronne d'Or (the Golden Crown), the Bechtold family has been caring for around 12 hectares of vines criss-crossing the hillsides for generations, always with a mindful approach that encourages biodiversity and allows their sites to flourish. Believing “the grape and its pulp, its skin and its pips…is everything needed to produce great wines provided, of course, that these grapes are perfect,” they were the first in the neighborhood to be certified organic (in 2007) and have since achieved Demeter certified (in 2017). Their work in the cellar is just as mindful, fermenting with native yeasts and adding little to no sulfur, to craft a range of nimble, terroir-driven (and physically very tall) bottlings. This one, “the nave (or church) of the mad,” is a single vineyard pinot gris, macerated for 12 days on its skins and aged in a single old foudre. A vivid, pearlescent shade of copper, it boasts aromas of rose petals and petrol that lead into a textural palate of apricot and nectarine, crushed rock minerality and refreshing acidity. Certified organic, certified biodynamic, low intervention/natural wine.