Alsace adventure (5) heading north to see Mochel, Pfister and Loew
On a rainy October day in Alsace, Lars Daniels and I headed up to meet three producers working in the north of the region. We dodged heavy showers to look round the vineyards then did a joint tasting, including some of the most interesting wines of the trip.
Domaine Frédéric Mochel
Website: https://mochel.alsace/
This domaine is now run by Guillaume Mochel, who took over in 2001 after spells working in Bordeaux and New Zealand.
Frédéric Mochel Crémant d’Alsace NV France
13% alcohol. This is 2019 disgorged in December 2022 after 32 months on less with 5 g/l dosage. Chardonnay (80%) and Pinot Noir (20%). Elevage of base wine is in stainless steel. This is beautiful with subtle toasty notes as well as fine lemon notes and a twist of cherry. Lovely crystalline citrus here with a fine finish. Superbly balanced showing good complexity and refinement. 93/100
Frédéric Mochel Muscat Classic 2022 Alsace, France
100% Muscat Ottonel. This is bright and lively but richly textured. It has lychee and table grape with some jelly notes and a touch of spice (ginger and nutmeg) and melon. Lovely depth and purity with a forward personality. Fruity, aromatic and dry. 92/100
Frédéric Mochel Riesling Cuvée Henriette Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergbeiten 2021
14% alcohol. Powerful, linear and intense with expressive citrus fruit with some apple and pear, as well as keen acidity. Bright and intense with nice precision, and depth of fruit. There’s a sweetness to the fruit and acid combination on the finish. 94/100
Frédéric Mochel Pinot Noir Réserve 2020
14.5% alcohol. Very low yields of 15 hl/ha, aged in barriques (mainly old). Linear, ripe and concentrated with a slight salty edge to the sweet cherries and plums with nice acidity and some fine-grained tannins. Rich and intense with a twist of tar and some subtle woody hints in the background. Finishes long and warm (14.7% alcohol). 94/100
Domaine Mélanie Pfister
Mélanie Pfister Paar Deux Cépages 2022 Alsace, France
12.5% alcohol. Pinot Blanc/Auxerrois. Old vines. Limestone clay. Stainless steel and a portion of Pinot Blanc in clay amphorae. Dry, stony and mineral with lovely taut lemon and apple fruit, as well as some clay and chalk notes. This is supple and fresh with lovely weight and balance. 92/100
Mélanie Pfister Berg Riesling 2022
Muschelkalk. Four small plots in the lieu dits Silberberg and Auf dem Berg. Stainless steel. Taut, linea, stony and mineral with a crystalline citrus fruit core and lovely texture. Pure, stony, complex and linear with a subtle saline edge. So fine and expressive. 95/100
Mélanie Pfister Grand Cru Engelberg Riesling 2022
Limestone soils, a younger one, and the roots penetrate more easily. 18 months in stainless steel. Concentrated and linear with bright citrus fruit with some creamy hints and then keen acidity. Has a hint of cabbage and honey in the background, showing powerful lime and lemon notes, and a touch of green apple. Nice intensity here. 94/100
Mélanie Pfister Pinot Gris Silb 2021
14% alcohol. From Silberberg, a limestone plateau on the top of the village, fermented and aged in used barrels. Fine, expressive and mineral with taut cherry and lemon fruit with good acidity. Linear, focused and mineral with lovely texture and a hint of smokiness on the finish. Very stylish and intense, and youthful and linear. 94/100
Mélanie Pfister Hüt Pinot Noir 2021
13% alcohol. From Huette at the side of Grand Cru Engelberg. Lovely aromatics: floral raspberry and red cherry, with some lift. Juicy, lively and vivid on the palate with pure cherry and berry fruits with some nice spiciness and a sweet edge to the fruit. So beautifully nuanced. This is really fine, from a difficult vintage. 94/100
Domaine Loew
These wines were presented by Ludivine Martin, who works with Etienne Loew.
Domaine Loew Riesling Ostenberg 2021
13.5% alcohol. Biodynamically farmed 45 year old vines planted in Muschelkalk and oolithic limestone. Powerful and intense with a smoky, mineral edge to the bold lemony fruit. Crystalline and intense with keen acidity and a lot of palate weight, showing some pear and peach richness. So mineral on the finish with a hint of matschstick reduction: a remarkable wine. 95/100
Domaine Loew Riesling Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergbeiten 2021
13% alcohol. Muschelkalk and black marne soils. Notes of honey, cream and meal on the nose, leading to a layered palate showing textured citrus and pear fruit, with nice weight and a tapering finish. Fine, quite mineral, and showing depth and richness as well as freshness. 93/100
Domaine Loew Pinot Gris Brudebach Le Menhir 2020 Alsace
14% alcohol. Grey limestone soils. Oak aged. Full yellow colour. Lovely weight and texture to this wine which is rich but not heavy, showing sweet pear, melon and cherry. Rounded with nice weight and a slight mineral twist on the finish. Has a nice bacon savouriness on the finish. Lovely stuff. 94/100
All You Need is Loew Marguerite Nature 2022
12.5% alcohol. Pink-skinned mutation of Sylvaner given 5-7 days maceration, no added sulfites. Fruity, linear and expressive with lovely sour cherry and citrus fruit as well as hints of wax and strawberry. This has just a bit of structure and good acidity. It’s a lighter style red and it’s massively drinkable, finishing with a twist of pepper. Has hints of rhubarb and plum. Very fine. 93/100
All You Need is Loew Omagy Nature 2022
Skin-fermented Gewurztraminer. This has a gold/copper colour, with the tannins from skin fermentation adding some spice and lovely table grape, pear and apple notes. It’s really expressive and the exotic notes of Gewurztraminer are dampened down in a nice way. So lovely. 93/100
Domaine Loew Pinot Noir Weinberg Nature 2022
13% alcohol. A plot that needs to be worked by horse, black marl soils. No barrels, and no added sulfites. 100% whole bunch, macerated for 10 days. Primary and intense, with great structure sitting under the sweet berry and cherry fruits with some raspberry. Linear, fine and superbly balanced with good structure under the pure fruit. Still quite primary but with superb concentration, focus and purity, with some chalky, mineral textural. 95/100
