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Today we offer a handful of new arrivals from our friend Philippe Brand in Alsace. Together with his partner, Blandine, and an extended crew of winemakers and friends both near and far, Philippe is approaching natural wine production in a studied and simultaneosly free-spirited way, working overwhelmingly without using added sulfites, with overwhelmingly clean and exciting results!
A brief history of the family domaine brings us to the 1700s, when Philippe's ancestors started a polycutlure farm in Ergerhseim, about 20 minutes west of Strasbourg. They grew wheat, tobacco, and grapes, and had many farm animals as well. In fact, the numerous stalls and barns created for the animals have since been adapted to accomodate the winemaking activities in recent decades. In the 1950s, Philippe's grandfather, Lucien Brand, began to focus primarily on cultivating vineyards, expanding their surface area from half a hectare to just under 10 hectares, and establishing an official winery in 1956. Charles, Philippe's father, converted to organic viticulture in the 1990s, with certification in 2000. Philippe was always helping out at the winery from an early age, and then in 2006, he began to have a more active role, taking the organic farming a step further by converting to biodynamic agriculture starting around 2010, with certification in 2015
Philippe traveled to Burgundy, and as far as Australia, learning at different wineries, and developing a vision for what he wanted to do back home. He then benefited from relationships with some of our favorite Alsatian personalities, like Christian Binner and Pierre Frick, who he consults with regularly. In his words, the idea behind his approach to winemaking "is to capture all the life that gives us beautiful grapes, retain that life during the vinification, and bring it to you in the bottle." He's clearly doing just that, and his work highlights how pure and balanced natural wines can be. As far as I remember, Philippe told me his father will only drink the no SO2 added wines now, preferring them to the traditional wines they still bottle for the old folks and tourists in the area.
Brand, Charles & Philippe 2018 Alsace Pet-Nat 'Le Bidule'
A gently sparkling, hazy Pet-Nat from Philippe Brand. Le Bidule is a blend of Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and 10% direct press Pinot Noir. Low alcohol and as the French say, "digeste," in that it has nice texture and goes down quite smoothly. This will be a great Pet-Nat to have on the table during the holidays, as the bubbles are not aggressive yet the wine is still light on its feet and very refreshing and palate cleansing.
Brand, Charles & Philippe 2021 Alsace Oeillet le Litre (Liter)
A fresh and forward liter bottle of Pinot Blanc, sort of a classic Alsatian dry white, perfect for salads, cheese, tarte flambée, or on its own as an apero. A touch of orchard fruit on the palate and nice acidity overall.
Brand & Co. 2021 VDF Kvevri Blanc
Kvevri is a new wine from Philippe Brand that was aged with some skin contact in buried Kvevri (Georgian spelling is Kvevri or Qvevri, otherwise known as Amphora) in Philippe's garden in Alsace. A blend of Pinot Auxerrois, Chardonnay and Riesling, aged in three 800L Kvevris which were imported from Georgia, and are lined with a thin layer of beeswax. Maceration time is 10 months, with an additional 2 months of aging before bottling without filtration or added SO2. There is real grip to this wine, a nice structured mouthfeel, very similar to the level of tannins found in most Georgian amber wines. Both an homage and an exploration of aging vessels and maceration times that are atypical for Alsace.
Brand, Charles & Philippe NV Alsace Mandoline
La Mandoline is a new wine combining all the white grapes at Philippe's fingertips. Pinot Blanc, Riseling, Muscat, Sylvaner, Pinot Gris (with skin contact), and a touch of Gewurztraminer from parcels in Kefferberg on clay and limestone soils. the wine is dry but floral, with nice ripeness in the mid-palate, and is tasting great at the moment! Aging was for 36 months in large barrel, and wine was bottled without filtration or added SO2.
Brand & Co. 2015 VDF Retenez Son Nom Sous Voile Blanc
A fascinating white from Philippe Brand, 100% Sylvaner that spent 30 months fermenting, with subtle development of voile (flor), and an additional 30 months in bottle before release. The level of oxidation is certainly subtle, with more presence on the nose than on the palate, but it contributes a complexity to the wine, already interesting enough for being a long-aged Sylvaner. It doesn't seem like this wine was 100% intentional, but Philippe became enamored with the wine as it aged and is very happy to release it. We hope he has more in the works, as we don't want to wait another 8 years to try the next bottling! Not to be missed for any fan of complex and textured white wines.
Brand & Co. 2020 VDF Blanc 'The New One'
This white from Brand & Co. project is 100% Riesling from a local Alsatian vineyard in Mittelbergheim. The wine spent 20 months in a large neutral barrel, and was bottled without filtration or added SO2. Nice structure, gritty and waxy on the palate. A deliciously dry and textured dry Riesling from Alsace!
Brand, Charles & Philippe 2019 Alsace Orange 'Oui Chef!'
A wine made with friends, "Vins des Copains" as they say, from grapes in Alsace. The "Brand & Co" wines will likely change from year to year as they experiment with different vinifications and blends. This is a uniquely spritzy orange wine that isn't sparkling, but is undeniably fizzy for about 10-15 minutes. 50% Riesling maceration (so just half of the grapes see skin contact for 4 weeks), blended with direct press wines of Pinot Gris and Sylvaner. A bit spiced and tropical on the nose, but razor sharp and fresh, not very floral, but aromatically very inviting. A nice addition to the Brand lineup!
Brand & Co. 2018 VDF La Chatelaine Rouge
Brand & Co. is a collaboration between several different winemakers who all work with a similar ethic and philosophy, producing living, honest wines from organically farmed vineyards. La Chatelaine is a blend of Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc, from clay-limestone soils in Bordeaux. Aging is for 12 months in stainless steel, and the wine is bottled unfiltered and with no added SO2. The wine is ripe, sultry and supple, with smooth dark fruit notes and integrated tannins. A delicious, full-bodied natural red, and a perfect pairing lightly chilled with a steak this Summer.