Jean-Pierre Rietsch, Pinot Noir, Alsace, France

Who - Jean-Pierre Rietsch
Where - Mittelbergheim, Alsace, France
What - Red Wine - Pinot Noir
When - 2024
How  - Organic, part whole bunch, part de-stemmed, 15 days maceration, half direct press, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, aged on lees for eight months in tank, minimal sulphur added, vegan

The Rietsch estate in Alsace has been in the family for seven generations; the land was previously used for tobacco and crops. It was Jean-Pierre’s parents who started cultivating vines in 1970s and handed them on to JP in 1987. The domaine is still very much driven by a family-led culture and JP is moving back to a degree of mixed farming, in part to improve the biodiversity of the farm.

Vines are raised naturally, with terroir at the heart of the operation and no use of chemicals. Sulphur is very rarely used in the cellar, only when absolutely necessary.