6/13/25 - 

Today we offer a handful of new arrivals from Alsace from our friends Philippe and Blandine (pictured above). With an extended crew of winemakers and friends both near and far, they are approaching natural wine production in a studied and simultaneously free-spirited way, working across the board without using added sulfites, with overwhelmingly clean and exciting results! We use the word pristine in our header for good reason: these are wines that are pure and unspoiled, sometimes employing maceration for unexpected hues in the glass, but always free from the faults ("mousiness" for example) that often occur with no-sulfur-added wines. 

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 accommodate 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 and Blandine's work highlights how pure and balanced natural wines can be. Philippe told us once that 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!

The new arrivals we're featuring showcase the unique range of winemaking at the Brand et Fils estate. There is a cheerful, liter bottle of Pinot Blanc called L'Oeillet Le Litre, perfect for sharing with friends - a bit spritzy on opening for a little tickle on the tongue. The white wines get more fascinating with the Retenez Son Nom Sous Voile, which was aged on the lees for 30 months and then spent an additional 30 months aging, developing a very faint (barely perceptible) level of oxidation, roundness and texture. Their delicious bottling called Solera, now in its 8th edition (or bottling), is immensely enjoyable on the nose and palate and also very interesting from a standpoint of their technical approach, blending in wines from different years and creating a constantly evolving cuvée. Though they produce a range of maceration (skin contact) wines, we're highlighting three favorites. Tout Terriblement Maceration, made from Gewurztraminer, is exploding with lovely flavors and delicate texture. Kvevri is an earthy and subtly tannic wine made in an homage to ancient Georgian traditions, with skin maceration in qvevris that Philippe imported from the Republic of Georgia and buried in his backyard! Fleurs Maceration could be mistaken for a light red, and drinks very much like one, showing a red fruited and fresh side of Pinot Gris. We finish with a juicy and crunchy Pinot Noir called La Table des Rois, fresh but also lightly structured, and ready for a light chill. All of the wines are tasting great!

-Eben Lillie

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