DIRECT FROM

ALSACE, FRANCE

A TASTING FLIGHT FEATURING:

With its fairytale aesthetic, German influence, and exceptional white wines, Alsace stands out as one of France’s most unique viticultural treasures.

This coveted region, stretching north to south along France’s northeastern border, has a rich history of German influence. Nestled in the rain shadow of the Vosges mountains, Alsace enjoys one of France’s driest climates and benefits from a long, cool growing season—ideal conditions for the exquisite offerings featured in this week's Domaine Ostertag $22 Tasting Flight!

These are the wines I always reach for when summer heats up in Charlotte. They evoke fond memories of my time in France and offer a fresh, thirst-quenching profile that both engages the palate and provides a delightful respite from the heat.

I invite you to join us in tasting two classic Alsatian varietals - Riesling and Sylvaner - alongside a captivating white cuvée of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Each wine promises to delight your senses and transport you to this gem of a wine region in France!

The Tasting Flight begins today (Wednesday), and I hope you'll take this opportunity to try something new here in our Tasting room while you sip & shop & escape the heat-dome!

Please read on for our weekend lineup and a brief primer on Alsace and Domaine Ostertag.

Cheers & stay hydrated!



-Mark

FRIDAY, JULY 13th

SAVE THE DATE

Bastille Day Grande Tasting Event

Come rejoice with 12 great Burgundy selections as we celebrate all things French!

• More information in the coming weeks

PARK ROAD: 

5:00 - 7:00pm Wednesday

5:00 - 9:00pm Thursday - Friday

1:00 - 9:00pm Saturday

1:00 - 7:00pm Sunday

DOMAINE OSTERTAG

Pinot Blanc/Gris Cuvée 2022

Alsace, FR

$39 btl/retail

An Eau d’Alsace of sorts, this blend of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris conjures up much of the essence of the region with its expressive spice notes and round, rose-petal texture. It is a joy to drink on its own and soak in the region!

Varietal: Proprietary blend of Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc from a 0.8ha vineyard with vines 20+ years of age.

Tasting Notes: A fragrant cuvée full of peach skin, green guava, and passion fruit seeds.

DOMAINE OSTERTAG

Vielles Vignes Sylvaner 2022

Alsace, FR

$40 btl/retail

Arthur Ostertag has not disappointed with this fantastic new release of a long-standing favorite—always one of the greatest expressions of the Sylvaner grape in Alsace. A golden wine with ample concentration that remains fresh and stimulating. Its luscious aroma and lovely luminosity make for a memorable Sylvaner!

Varietal: 100% Sylvaner from 40+ year old vines grown in clay/granite/gravel soils.

Tasting Notes: Beautiful aroma, silky mouthfeel, fresh with old-vine weight, interesting, and downright delicious.

DOMAINE OSTERTAG

"Les Jardins" Riesling 2022

Alsace, FR

$42 btl/retail

It would be an oversight to talk about Ostertag and not mention soil, the foremost influence on the family’s wines. Their Les Jardins range blends several parcels with diverse geological composition, though a gravelly minerality stands out in this Riesling.

Pair it with something clean and simple like fresh crudo, or a chilled appetizer of honeydew melon and burrata, topped with basil and sea salt. 

Varietal: 100% Riesling from 30+ year old vines grown in gravel/sand/silica/clay soils that sorround the winery, hence the name "Les Jardins". Aged for 6-9 months.

Tasting Notes: This Riesling is incredible pure, with zesty citrus fruit, a touch of apricot, waxy texture, and lovely minerality. A zippy Riesling from Ostertag that is bone dry and thirst quenching.

Tragically, Alsace might be the most misunderstood wine region of France. In spite of its long history of viticulture and tremendous diversity of pedigreed terroirs, a past fraught with marketing mishaps has left consumers baffled as to what exactly to expect inside one of these mysterious tall, thin bottles.

The good news, on the other hand, is that a new wave of quality-oriented growers is working hard to put Alsace in its rightful place as one of the world’s most fascinating sources of fine white wine. By embracing tradition, respecting terroir, and making a concerted effort to better communicate the countless virtues their wines have to offer, they have succeeded in putting Alsace back on the map.

Crafted from a number of grape varieties and beautifully interpreting the region’s mosaic of soil types, our Alsace imports are by and large dry whites offering exceptional versatility at table. While each of these selections is ready to be uncorked tonight, the finest among them are also capable of maturing for many, many years in a cool cellar. Expect kaleidoscopic aromatics, lively acidities, and loads of terroir transparency in these skillfully crafted masterpieces. Enjoy a foray into the thrilling world of the world’s most underrated wine region! And if you've travelled through the Alsace, you'll appreciate some of the greatest food France has to offer - no kidding.

Colourful, decorative and flowery, the half-timbered houses in Alsace are part of the local landscape and contribute to the image of a region located on the side of France. The warm and welcoming look of the houses is striking, evoking images from a fairy-tale book. 

VARIETALS



The best wines of Alsace can be described as aromatic and honeyed, even when completely dry. The region’s “noble” varieties, the only ones permitted within Alsace’s 51 Grands Crus vineyards, are Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Muscat, and Pinot Gris.

Riesling is Alsace’s main specialty. In its youth, Alsace Riesling is dry, fresh and floral, but develops complex mineral and flint character with age. Gewurztraminer is known for its signature spice and lychee aromatics, and is often utilized for late harvest wines. Pinot Gris is prized for its combination of crisp acidity and savory spice as well as ripe stone fruit flavors. Muscat, vinified dry, tastes of ripe green grapes and fresh rose petal.

Other varieties grown here include Pinot Blanc, Auxerrois, Chasselas, Sylvaner and Pinot Noir—the only red grape permitted in Alsace and mainly used for sparkling rosé known as Crémant d’Alsace. Most Alsace wines are single-varietal bottlings and unlike other French regions, are also labeled with the variety name.

To call André Ostertag a revolutionary winemaker is to tell just half the story. He is a pioneer, certainly, but also an ardent environmentalist (as demonstrated in both his wine and his sculpture, another passion). After training in Burgundy, André returned to the family domaine in Alsace with renewed zeal: he lowered yields considerably and introduced viticultural and vinification techniques from other regions to his own home ground. The 1996 vintage marked his first collaboration with Kermit-Lynch, and the following year he brought biodynamic viticulture to his fourteen hectares of vineyards, including his flagship parcel in the Muenchberg Grand Cru. 

There is poetry to Ostertag’s practices. He looks for the nuance of terroir rather than the typicity of a grape varietal. In an act of rejection against the official classifications dictated by the A.O.C., he made up his own categories: Vins de Fruit that express fruit character rather than that of a specific vineyard site, Vins de Pierre reflecting the terroir from which they originate, and Vin de Temps that rely on time and weather to encourage the development of botrytis. He ferments the majority of his wines completely dry, so their versatility at the table surpasses that of many other wines from the region. In Ostertag’s experience, a careful use of oak subtly enhances the traditional Alsatian varietals from the Pinot family, giving them greater depth on the palate. He uses oak sourced exclusively from the Vosges Mountains and, for his Pinots, prefers barriques to the traditional foudres. He rejects formulaic, scientifically engineered wines, and since going biodynamic in 1997, has been an active member of the natural farming community.

From Kermit Lynch’s 'Inspiring Thirst' book:

"…true quality is that which succeeds in surprising and moving us. It is not locked inside a formula. Its essence is subtle (subjective) and never rational. It resides in the unique, the singular, but it is ultimately connected to something more universal. A great wine is one in which quality is contained. Such a wine will necessarily be uncommon and decidedly unique because it cannot be like any other, and because of this fact it will be atypical, or only typical of itself."

We will have your order ready for pick-up at our

Flagship Store at 4001 Park Rd!

 mark@petitphilippe.com | www.petitphilippe.com

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