From: Alsace, France
Varietals: 70% Pinot Blanc, 20% Pinot Gris, 10% Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes: The 2021 Pierres Sauvages reveals its splendor in the glass! The Raleigh Wine Shop describes it as an "age-old blend of the area, though rarely seen elsewhere," praising its peach, apricot, and cherry flavors, underpinned by honeysuckle and white flowers. Online retailer Swig mirrors this sentiment, applauding the 2020 vintage as "gently golden and floral, with dried apricot and honey, toasted walnuts and a bit of spice too.” In contrast, the 2021 vintage is absolutely stunning with notes of lychee, passionfruit, white strawberry, and white peach with a hint of cherry blossom. On the palate, these notes become flavors and are balanced out by cheery red fruits, cherry, and citrus. The finish is long and lingering; it finishes on a high, mineral note and will immediately call for another glass!
Pairing: The 2021 Pierres Sauvages pairs well with a variety of dishes. Its delicate fruitiness and balanced acidity make it an ideal companion for roast chicken (check out the recipe below!), salad with citrus dressing, mild cheeses, and seafood pasta with creamy sauce. The wine’s intensity and roundness also make it a divine match for Asian dishes with sweet, sour, or spicy sauces. Moreover, it beautifully complements foie gras, drawing out its flavors without overwhelming the palate.
Roasted Orange Chicken
By Genevieve Ko
About. While Mathieu Deiss’ main gig remains working in the vines and cellar of his father’s family domaine, Domaine Marcel Deiss, he kicked off his personal project in 2013. Mathieu explains the story and inspiration behind the Vignoble du Rêveur wines, the fruit of vineyards he inherited from his maternal grandfather:
"All his life, my grandfather fought for his independence, the true definition of liberty! Work his vines today is my homage to his fight, to his idealistic dreams, and I intend to continue his battle. It’s time to take back the right to dream, to construct a future without limits, to reinvent wine and its definition, to break the rules, move walls and open our eyes, to decide that anything is possible!
By 2016 I had taken on the entire 7 hectares that my uncle and grandfather left to me. Vignoble du Rêveur includes no grape purchases, no negociant activity, and remains entirely my own production. The parcels are located mostly in the commune of Bennwihr, just outside of the valley of Kaysersberg, on a relatively young soil of Quartenary stone.
Without a doubt, the natural environment is the ultimate guide when it comes my viticultural practices. So instinctively, I immediately began reconverting the entire estate to organic and biodynamic agriculture. After all, if we look back at the grand scheme of things, this was the only vititcultural mode throughout most of history! Because I have taken back my family’s holdings little by little, this transition to organics has been progressive.
When it comes to vinification, I do not plan to construct an independent winery, especially because my main role remains at Domaine Marcel Deiss. Vignoble du Rêveur was born from my desire to continue the vineyard legacy of my maternal uncle, but I chose to vinify both Rêveur and Deiss in the same place as I simply cannot be in two places at once during harvest.”
