2009 Meyer-Fonné Reserve Riesling

2009 Meyer-Fonné Reserve Riesling

Félix Meyer founded the domaine in the 18th century, descended from a Swiss family that moved to Katzenthal in 1732, he purchased the current estate and began the planting of the vineyards…..his daughter Lucie helping in the vineyards and during harvest…..fast forward a few generations and it is another Felix that is now at the helm as the current winemaker.

The Meyer-Fonné estate covers 12 hectares in the communes of Katzenthal, Ammerschwir, Ingersheim, Riquewhir, Kientzheim, Colmar and Bennwhir…..so I guess it would be stating the bleeding obvious to say that thay have access to a fair diversity of Alsace terroirs.

Ranging from the flats around Colmar to the steep  inclines of Katzenthal….the exposures and soils vary greatly between the vineyards….alluvial deposits, clayey sandstone, degraded mica’s and granite….you name it…they’ve got it. And some famous Grand Cru names in the quiver also….Wenck-Schlossberg, Kaefferkopf, Ferstenum, Sporen and Schenenbourg as well as three lieu-dits near Katzenthal……Dorfberg, Hinterberg and Pfoller.

Work in the vineyards is very considered….no chemical fertilisers or herbicides with plenty of de-budding and green harvesting, the yields are extremely low for a region renowned for some fairly heady tonnage numbers.

Hand-picked the grapes arrive in the cellar, a slow press cycle follows then aonto fermentation in either stainless steel or large, old oak using natural yeasts. The ferments last anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months depending on the wines and maturation occurs on fine lees.

Pale straw in the glass the wine smells quite ripe but undoubtedly pure of nose with aromas of peach, nectarine, grapefruit and lime with hints of minerals, freshly cut fennel bulb, blossom and soft spice with some light, creamy, leesy nuances that lie in the lemon curd spectrum.

On the palate with wine is bright and pure…..again with a sense of richness in the mouth. ripe stone and citrus fruit flavours abound, all wrapped around a minerally core. There’s hints of soft spice, lanolin, almond paste, and dried flowers with a faint waft of aniseed. Lovely weight and balance with a refreshing, sherbet-like acidity. If anything it lacks a little tension but damn good drinking at this level.

Apparently Felix is a big bloke….in the past he has worked for another big bloke…Olivier Humbrecht from Zind-Humbrecht….so let’s celebrate the big blokes.

Price: $28 – Closure: Cork – Alcohol: 12% – Source: Cellar

Big blokes pull the ladies.....