Crémant d'Alsace Extra Brut 2022

A vertically built sparkling wine. The entry is clear, the acidity fine and cooling, the perlage present and delicately distributed. The minerality that defines the wines of Domaine Albert Mann carries through to a lively finish.

The grapes grow around Kientzheim and Wettolsheim on clay-limestone, sandy and gravelly soils with varying exposures. The vines are around 30 years old. Maurice and Jacky Barthelmé, brothers-in-law, have farmed their 25 hectares biodynamically since 1997, using horses instead of tractors on the steepest sites. Jacky is responsible for the vineyards, Maurice for the cellar.

The cuvée consists of 87 percent Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois, 8 percent Pinot Noir and 5 percent Pinot Gris. After hand harvesting and a first fermentation in tank, the wine was bottled in February 2023. The first bottles were disgorged after 18 months on the lees, with the rest following over a period of 18 to 30 months. Malolactic fermentation is avoided, keeping the acidity taut. Here, Extra Brut means a very low dosage.

Pale golden yellow, with a fine, widely distributed mousse. On the nose, white blossom, alongside plenty of fruit: juicy pear, apple, quince, vineyard peach, underpinned by brioche from lees ageing. On the palate, apricot bursts forth, the freshness lingers, and the wine stays lean, drawing tight together at the finish.

An aperitif that is equally suited as a companion to refined cuisine.

2022 was an early, heterogeneous vintage; the vines coped well with the weather conditions. Fruit aromas, fresh texture and volume point to good ageing potential. This crémant ranks among the best in the region.